For The First Time
by McKnight 2.0
Summary: After an eight year relationship, Richard/ Nightwing broke up with Starfire, saying he was no longer in love with her. Unable to handle being on the same planet as him, Starfire fled to Tameran. Five years later she returns to Earth and soon runs into her love and ex-boyfriend, which causes a chain of events to unfold that could lead them back together.
1. Reflection

Chapter One - Reflection

**The story was inspired by the song For The First Time, hence the name. If you want an emotional feel for what the story is going to be like, go listen to it. LFS was great, but this is better from every stand point. I hope you enjoy it and remember to review.**

**Full Summary: **After an eight year relationship, Richard(Nightwing) breaks up with Starfire, saying only that he is no longer in love with her. Unable to take the pain of being on the same planet as him, Starfire flees to Tameran. Five years later she returns to Earth, first running into Cyborg, who now works at the Watch Tower. He directs her to Raven and Gar, who are now married and still live in Jump City. Both are ecstatic to see her and take her into their her home until she can find her own place. When Starfire asks about Richard, Raven only says that they don't see much of him these days. Three weeks pass and the Titans hold their annual reunion party. Everyone is surprised to see Starfire, but when Richard(now Batman) shows up, a chain of events unfold that may lead them back to each other.

**I'll be updating once every two days. I'm taking this story seriously, so I need more time to plan everything out.**

**Disclaimer: Teen Titans is property of Warner Brothers and DC. I own nothing, but my story.**

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Starfire' POV

I remember the day just like it was yesterday. The day that Richard did the breaking up with me, saying only that he no longer was in love with me, ripping my heart from my chest in the process. It replays through my mind like the movies of Earth and though it was over five years ago, there has not come day where I have not thought of it. It damages me emotionally to remember him, but I cannot forget him. He is my chosen, and though I never told him, Tameranian love is eternal, meaning I shall never be able to fall out of love him... apparently his love was not the same, no matter how convinced I was that he would always love me.

At first, he was nothing more than my ally, assisting me in combating my Gordanian captors, but it did not take long for him to become my best friend. While the tower, my home for four years, was being constructed, I lived with him at his apartment, following him everywhere he went, asking him all sorts of questions and he was most patient with me and explained everything the best he could. Though I only knew him as Robin then, I had the feelings for him. I would get the flies of butter in my tummy every time I was near him, or when he smiled at me from across the room, or when I thought about him... any sort of interaction involving him really.

Though I did not fully understand at the time, Vic and Gar used to do the teasing of him about me being his girlfriend. When he said I was not, I would become very upset with him. In my understanding of the term, I was his girlfriend... or I thought I was. When the boys would do the hitting on me, I made sure to inform them that I had the boyfriend even if said boyfriend was not aware of it. It was not until we traveled to Tokyo to find a man by the name of Brushogan, that we really became the couple.

In the ways of Earth, I am naive at times, but love is universal. I do not know when I fell in love with him, only that it was long before Tokyo. He was what I dreamed of at night. I was hopelessly lost in a love filled daze whenever I was around him, and often showed jealousy when another female, that was not Raven, spoke to him. After all, I was under the impression that he was my boyfriend. Kitten... I do not like her to this day. I could not believe she had the nerve to ask my Robin on the date. I was not the camper that was happy... No, that is wrong. I was not the happy camper. Yes, that is it.

I did not meet Babs until after we were really together. At first I did not like her, being aware of their past, but we quickly became friends... That is not to say I was very enthusiastic about when her and Richard did the hanging out. It did not take long for my jealousy to fade slightly. I came to realize that I was the owner of Richard's heart and that he would never do the cheating on me.

One of my favorite days that I can remember, is when I found out who Robin was and he told me he loved me. We were sitting on the roof of the tower, watching the sunset like we did every day, just me and him like always. Gar used to call it Robin's "Starfire time." I liked the name because it meant that he set aside time that was only meant to spend with me. He never missed a sunset. No matter what case he was working on, he was always there.

Tears fill my eyes as I reflect.

**Flashback...**

I sat on the roof of Titans' Tower watching the sunset with amazement. It was Summer and the clouds in the sky were mixture of oranges, yellows, blues, and purples. It was most beautiful. I heard the door open, but I did not turn back to look, knowing it was my Robin coming to join me as he did everyday. Out of the corner of my eye I saw him take a seat beside me and felt his hand take mine intertwining are fingers. It was simple, but I loved the hand holding very much, especially if he did it in public.

Most women of Earth do not like to be displayed, but I felt proud that such a secretive person as Robin, would make it known to the world that I was his. At first he was very reluctant to show affection toward me unless we were in the privacy of one of our rooms, but that slowly faded. "It is beautiful," I committed to him, still gazing into the colorful sky above.

He did not take his eyes off of me. "Yes, very beautiful."

I blushed, knowing he was speaking of me. Turning to look at him, I smiled lovingly. "You are being the flirt today."

He laughed a little and looked down for a moment before meeting my eyes once again. "I can't help it. ...Star... we have only been together for three months now, but I have known you for over two years." He paused and I cocked my head to the side, wondering where he was going. "You mean everything to me, you know that, right?"

I remember my heart rate increasing in my chest. Robin was always nice to me, but at that time he was not yet the romantic man he would become, so it surprised me, a very welcomed surprise at that. Smiling brightly, I moved closer to him, leaving no space between us. "It gives me great joy to hear that. You mean everything to me as well."

He briefly smiles before becoming serious. "I have been thinking about this all day. I haven't got any work done, but I think this is the most productive day of my life. Star... I want you to know... No, I need you to know, that I... that I love you."

My heart soared to unseen heights the moment those three words left his mouth. I had been waiting on it for what felt like a life time and he finally said them. I felt tears in my eyes, but I could not have cared any less. He loved me! He actually loved me! I felt euphoric, ecstatic, glorious! "I love you as well, Robin. I have wished to tell you for a long time, even before we began the dating, but I most worried that you did not return my feelings."

He slowly leaned in and placed his lips softly to mine and I wrapped my arms around his neck, lost in a state of utter bliss. When he pulled away I put on a pouting face, to which he just chuckled a little. I loved to do the kissing. On my planet it is nothing more than a transfer of knowledge, but on Earth it is romantic, sensual even. "There's more," he says and my pout turned into a questioning look.

"What else could there possibly be that matters?," I asked. Robin, the love of my life, loved me. I did not care about anything else. I had always feared that he would never truly love me because I was so different, not only in looks, but in personality as well. It would be very bad for me if he never returned my feelings or did the breaking up with me, which would come much later.

He took deep breath, suddenly becoming very serious. "Okay, to you I'm Robin, right?"

"Yes," I answered, becoming confused once again.

"Okay, but under this mask I'm someone else," he continues.

I nodded, showing him that I understood. "I am aware. The person you are when your are not Robin is your secret identity, yes?" I never wondered who Robin was, but I was curious as to what color his eyes were. It often kept me up at night as I pondered the possibilities.

"Right... I don't want you to love Robin. I want you to love who I am under the mask, the real me. I think we have a future together and if that is the case, then you need to know everything about me."

"You are going to show me your eyes?," I asked with immense excitement.

"That depends. Do you believe that there is a future for us?," he questioned me, his face most serious.

"I wish for there to be. I am no longer obligated to return to Tameran. My life is here with you and our friends. It would make truly happy if we are to spend our lives together," I answered him.

"That's good because I want to spend my life with you." I could have died happy at that particular moment.

He did not move so I slowly reached my hand up to his face before studying him for a moment, silently asking if it were okay to remove the mask. He took another deep breath and nodded so I gently pulled his mask off, finding not only were his eyes the color of lighting, but also that I knew him. I had never seen him in person of course, but sometimes when I went to the mall of shopping, I would read Teen Magazine in an attempt to learn more of Earth's culture. I had seen him in there before, multiple times actually. I always thought he was most attractive and very familiar. It was then when I understood why.

It is easy to imagine how shocked I was at the time. My wide eyes and open mouth spoke to that perfectly. "You... you are Richard Grayson." I then let out squeal for a reason I wasn't sure of. I believe it is called fangirling. He covered his ears and closed his eyes tightly in response. "Oh, my apologies, Robin... or Richard. I just recognize you from the magazines at the mall of shopping. You are the famous, yes?"

"Umm, kind of. I'm actually known as Dick Grayson, but you can call me Richard if you want." It was not until later that I came to discover that he only allowed for his mother to call him Richard, so it was the big deal as they say. At that time I was not aware that the word dick had another meaning other than just a name, so I do believe he did not wish for me to say it. He was always said he loved the fact that I was so sweet and innocent.

"Glorious! This is wonderful!," I continued, once again shouting for some reason. I tend to do so when I become excited. "Robin... Richard, may I ask you something?"

He nodded. "Of course, Star."

I looked away from him, already blushing. To that point in our relationship all we had done was the making out and occasionally sleeping in the same bed, but that was very rare. My people our very sexual creatures and it did not take me long to want more, but Robin was very hesitant, with such things. We had never had any type of discussion about sex, but he would never go any farther than the making out and touching of my breasts, so I did not know if he were ready. In the human society, some believe that sex is not appropriate till marriage, which I always found to be ridiculous. I believe sex should be about love and we loved each other. "Now that we have admitted our feelings, I am curious if that means our physical relationship shall progress?," I inquired, fidgeting slightly.

His face turned very red and he seemed to need to breathe more. "You mean... sex?"

I blushed and found anything that wasn't him to look at. "I suppose. I believe that if we truly love each other than we should have no issue physically expressing it. I know with the utmost certainty that I love you, and I believe you when you say you love me, so then should we not at least progress our relationship further than the making out?"

He ran his hand through his hair and exhaled. "You have a point, but... are you sure you're ready for this? I don't want to rush you into anything or make you feel like you're obligated just because we are dating."

"I do not feel obligated. If I did not wish to do something I know you would not want me to. I wish to do this to express our love for each other. On Tameran, sex is about love and waiting for us to be wed is a silly idea to me, so I am ready to do this, but I wish to know if you are ready. You seem... hesitant," I replied to him.

"I'm not hesitant. I would love to make love to you. It's just it would a big step forward," he explained.

"Then I am ready to move forward," I responded with a shrug, something I had picked up during my two and a half years on Earth.

He seemed to calm slightly, a light smile appearing on his face. "Yeah... me too."

End flashback

We made love that night and it was the most glorious feeling that I can ever remember having, not just physically either. No, it was very emotionally satisfying. Beautiful would be the word I would use to describe it. I remember crying after and Richard feared he had hurt me, but I assured him that the tears were of happiness. I could not have loved a better man... at least that is what I believed at the time.

Two years passed and our relationship was amazing. We came to a difficult time when Richard left the Titans, then being Nightwing. It was very hard on the team and me especially. I did not know what the future held and I was scared that he would do the breaking up with me, but he assured me that it would not happen. When he moved to Bludhaven, I of course moved with him, so that we could begin our life together. We were both twenty-one, so it was the perfect time for us to get our own place. Though I would miss the girl talk with Raven and Gar and Vic doing the fussing over what to eat, I was most excited about it being just he and I.

He let me chose the place where we lived, which thrilled me. I finally found a condo that I liked very much in a pleasant part of the city. I made sure to chose a two bedroom dwelling, just in case I was to become pregnant. My DNA is very similar to humans and though we were not attempting to have a child, we were not exactly doing everything we could to prevent it either. It was an unspoken agreement that if it happened it happened. I often wonder if we had a child, would have things been different, would we still be together. If the answer is yes, then I wish I would have became pregnant, but that was not the case.

Things went very well for us for our first five years in Bludhaven. Richard became a police, while I found a job as a model. I wore a hologram ring in public of course. It just would not be good if Starfire was known to date Dick Grayson. One thing that did the complicating of our relationship was the fact that both of our egos were well-known figures. Dick Grayson was the son of Bruce Wayne, Gotham's prince, and Nightwing was the ex-leader of the Titans and one of the better known heroes on Earth, while Starfire was superhero from the planet Tameran, Kori Anders, my alias, was a well-known model.

It was common knowledge that Nightwing and Starfire were together and Kori and Dick were also a couple. It made things hard on us at times because no matter who we were, the public was watching us very closely. Despite all the pressure on us, it was not until our seventh year together that things began to go bad. Richard became very distant. He would spend longer hours in the office and often began to patrol alone at night, saying he did not need my help. We quit sleeping together and he would not tell me that he loved me anymore, when he used to tell me at least a few times everyday.

He quit calling me while at work, just to do the checking on me. We never went to a movie or to dinner anymore and he used to bring me a rose home every Friday, but that ceased as well. I was becoming very worried, so when our eighth anniversary came up, I wished to do something special for him in hopes of repairing our relationship, making it the way it used to be. I could not have known that he would break-up with me that night.

**Flashback...**

I stood in the kitchen, waiting for the chicken I had made to cool off, knowing Richard should be home shortly. It was a very special night for us, being our eighth anniversary as a couple. The year before Richard took me to an art gallery that I had been begging to go to, and when we returned that night we made the most passionate love that I can ever remember. That year I thought I could do something for him, so I went to the store of groceries and purchased all his favorite foods. When I first came to Earth I was not the best cook, but Vic, who is the best chef I know, slowly taught me how.

Apart of me had hoped that the reason Richard had been quite as of late, was because he was secretly planning to do the proposing to me and did not want to do the slipping up and telling me. We had talked of marriage before and decided that we would get married when the time was right for both of us, and back then we both had very busy lives. To this day I believe the reason our relationship fell apart was due to the fact that we forgot what was important and did not make enough time for each other.

Richard had to work eight hours a day, then patrol for two at night, not to mention his other obligations. I myself would leave for days or even weeks at a time to do photo shoots in places such as Italy in France, but if I knew that the distance was causing Richard to fall out of love with me, I would have quit without a second thought on the matter. He was... and is the most important thing in the galaxy to me. I loved and love him with all of my heart and the last thing I wanted was for us to do the breaking up, but as they say on Earth, you cannot always get what to you want.

I heard the door open and I turned to see him standing there in his police uniform, his face perfectly stoic, just as it had been as of late. "Hey Baby," I greeted him with a beaming smile from the kitchen.

"Hey," was all he said to me before walking off to our bedroom to change. That really did hurt me a lot more then I let on back then. He used to would come in with a smile on his face, and when I greeted him he would lift me and swing me around in his arms, planting a kiss on my lips as he did. It had been over two months since he did that at that time. Though we lived together, slept in the same bed, spent ten years with each all together, he treated me like I was a ghost. Sometimes he would go a day without giving me a kiss or saying a word to me. Things were really bad between us, but I refused to admit that to myself back then.

He emerged from our bedroom moments later, wearing only a pair of jogging pants and a muscle shirt. I looked at him in confusion as he headed for the door. "Richard, were are you going?," I called.

He paused and turned back to me. "Gym. Don't wait up."

Hurt took over my face. He didn't know what today was? How much it meant? Richard had never forgotten our anniversary and today was no exception. "You do not know what today is?," I asked him, a pleading tone in my voice.

He nodded. "Our eighth anniversary."

The fact that he knew and was still leaving hurt me more than he could ever know. I have always been overly emotional, but I believe the tears that were in my eyes were justified this time. "So you are just going to leave? Leave me here alone on our anniversary? Does this day mean nothing to you?"

Normally when I cried in front of Richard, whatever we were fighting about would no longer matter. He would rush to my side and apologize for whatever he said that had upset me. We never had a fight that lasted more the a few minutes because of this, but today was the exception. He just stood there, no emotion on his face. He briefly looked away and I could tell he was struggling to say something.

"Star... this day used to mean everything to me, but now... it's just another day." I felt my heart shatter under his words, but was not able to say anything. "We wake every morning and we go through the same routine. I go to work, you stay here and make sure the house is nice. Hell, sometimes you fly off for weeks at a time and we go days without talking." He shook his head before looking down at our floor. "We can continue this lie forever, but the fact is we're just comfortable around each other. Really we're nothing more than friends." His fist clenched and he shut his eyes, refusing to look at me. "I love you... but I'm not in love with you, not anymore."

His words were like a dagger through my heart. I would rather be subjected to the most extreme of tortures rather than have to hear those words again. "You are not in love with me anymore?" Tears now poured from my eyes. I thought we were going to spend forever together, but forever came far to soon. I imagined us getting married, having kids, growing old together, but it was nothing more than that. Just my imagination

He swallowed hard, a lone tear escaping him as he shook his head. "This isn't working and I can't keep living in this lie. I'm not happy with the way things are and I would be a fool to think they could change. Star... I'm done." Those were the last words he said to me before turning and walking out the door, leaving me to fall to my knees and cry my heart out.

End flashback

That was the last time I saw him. I did not wait for him to return home. I could not take seeing him again, not in the state I was in. I packed a bag full of good memories and left, not just the city, or the country, but the planet. I could not bear being on Earth when he was not in love with me, when I would be forced to see him almost regularly. I did the only thing I could, I returned to Tameran without a word to anyone. I knew if something happened... or he changed his mind, that Raven would know where I was, but he never did... or at least if he did, he never contacted me.

When I first returned to Tameran, I found that Galfore had been overthrown and that Tameran was now in a civil war between rival families. The high council was delighted to see that I had returned and asked me to marry Prince Karras in order to return Tameran to a stable state. After consulting with Galfore I did so, knowing that Tameran needed me.

Our marriage was not one of love, but rather a diplomatic one. He attempted to persuade me to have sex with him on a number of occasions, but even though we were millions of miles apart, I remained loyal to Richard. He is the only man, who shall ever touch me sexually. I did not like Karras to say the least, but I did what I felt obligated to do. Over time Tameran returned to peace, but I was not happy. In fact, I was most depressed. The more time that passed, the more I thought of Richard and my friends. I wondered if they thought of me, if he thought of me. Eventually I came to the point that I desired to return to Earth so dearly that I stepped down from the throne. It was not a popular decision, but Galfore always told me to follow my heart and my heart was on earth, so I left, ready to return to my real home.

That was four days ago. I am now very close to Earth, so close that I am able to see it. I have had a lot of time to think during these four days alone on my ship. I plan to seek out Vic, Gar, and Raven first, then I shall go from there. I have also decided that I will not search for Richard, or make it known to him that I have returned. He is probably married now or at the very least has a girlfriend, possibly even a child. I could not take finding out that he is in love with anyone but me, so I shall not look for him, no matter how much I desire to.

In a perfect world, he would see that we belong together, that we are supposed to be with each other for all eternity, but I learned from an early age that perfection does not exist. A sigh escapes me just as I enter Earth's atmosphere and the Watch Tower comes into view. I put down the picture of me and Richard I found myself holding, before turning my attention to the disk shaped object above Earth.

I know I must receive permission to land or I shall get in a lot of trouble. I do not believe I would be sent off the planet because of it, considering I have made friends with most of the Justice League, but I shall not take that risk. I have been gone from Earth for five years without any contact, so I do not know what could possibly have changed in my time away.

I receive the transmission from the Watch Tower that I was expecting, but I did not expect to recognize the voice. "Identify yourself and your reason to be on Earth," comes Vic's voice through the speakers of my ship.

A joyful gasps escapes me. "Cyborg!," I exclaim, followed by a squeal of excitement. Vic has always been my older brother and I love him dearly. It is glorious to hear his voice after so long!

"... Starfire?"

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**Well, there you have it. Next chapter: Starfire and Cyborg catch up and he directs her to Raven and Gar's house.**


	2. Catching Up

Chapter two - Catching Up

Saturday, June 1st 2:00 PM(Pacific time zone) - Watch Tower

Starfire's POV

"...Starfire?," Vic questions, an almost disbelieving tone to his voice and I can understand why. It has been a very long time and I am sure it was assumed that I was not returning. I myself did not think I would ever return when I left... at least not without Richard contacting me.

"Yes friend, it is I!," I exclaim joyfully. For the first time in years there is a real smile own my face. It is sad to say, but I almost forgot what being truly happy felt like.

"Oh my God... Star, you're back." He lets out an amazed laugh, the happiness he was feeling being very clear in his tone. "I can't believe it." I hear the sound of typing before he speaks again. "I opening landing dock seven. Hurry up and get in here."

I beam a smile and take my ship off autopilot. "I shall see you shortly." The transmission clicks off and I quickly make my way over to landing dock seven on the near side of the Watch Tower. As I near, I can see Vic waiting for me through the front window of my ship, a wide smile on his face. I press the button that lowers the power of thrusters and slowly land.

I waste no time exiting and rushing up to my old friend, not even remembering to put all my belongings away. "Vic!," I squeal as I launch myself at him and he catches me, spinning me around the air before placing me on the floor. We continue are hug, both of us holding on tightly. I have missed him so much in my time away.

He leans back and studies me, but keeps his hands on my sides. "I can't believe your actually here. I mean... we thought you weren't coming back." He shakes his head and I see a tear fall from his human eye. "I've missed you. We all have."

I fight the urge to ask if "all" includes Richard. I do not wish to talk about him, not yet anyway. "I have missed you as well. It has been so long since I have seen you. Please, what are you doing here?"

He wipes his eye then smiles again. "I'm a member of the Justice league now. I work mostly as the control systems operator, but I still get some action here and there. How long are staying for?"

I tap my lips as I think. "I am not sure truthfully. I would like to return to Earth on a permanent bases, but..." I sigh. "It is complicated.

He gives me a comforting smile, clearly understanding what I mean by "it is complicated." "Well, I hope you stay. Like I said, we all miss you."

I smile, showing my appreciation, before changing the subject. "Please Vic, tell me how you have been in my time gone. You and Bee are married now, yes?"

He laughs a little and begins to walk, leading me down a corridor. I have been to the Watch Tower on a number of occasion before, mostly for Christmas parties, so I am fairly sure we are headed to the control room. "I'm married, but not to Bee. No, we broke up about a year after you left."

That surprises me. They were always very affectionate toward each other. I thought they were meant to be together... but then again, I thought the same of Richard and I, and that obviously did not work out as planned. Shaking that thought off, I refocus on Vic. "I am truly sorry to hear that."

He waves his in the air in a dismissive fashion. "Don't worry about it. She ended up marrying Herald, and I got a beautiful wife at the house, waiting for me right now. Her name's Sarah. I think you would really like her. If you hang around long enough, I'll introduce you."

"I would be most excited to do so. It is glorious that you and Bee have both found someone you wish to spend your lives with," I exclaim, truthfully happy for them, but in the back of my mind I cannot help but to think that I should be married to the man that I wish to spend my life with. We would probably have children by now if everything had worked out. I do feel selfish for thinking this way, but I just... I cannot help it. I have to deal with this pain everyday of my life and sometimes it becomes my only focus.

Vic seems to not notice my sadness and just continues our conversation. "Yeah, BB and Raven actually got hitched two years ago. I was the best man of course."

"Oh, that is wonderful," I say as we make our way into the control room, just as I guessed. Gar and Raven had only started the dating before I left. I always thought they had the crush on each other and I was right! I bet they are a cute married couple... that is if Raven has not done the killing of him yet. Gar was very lucky to survive our time in the tower with her. She used to become most angry with him at times.

"Yup, Grass Stain found him a good one." He pauses for a second before saying anything else. "You know, you should probably let them know you're back."

I nod as he begins to work on some form of holographic screen. "Yes, you are right, but I am not sure where they live."

"They still live in Jump, not to far from the tower. I can give you a GPS unit that will lead you there, but I'm not sure where you gonna land that ship of yours," he says half-jokingly.

Though I have to admit, I am little nervous, I cannot wait to see my old friends, but he is right about the ship. I do not believe it would fit in the driveway of Wayne Manor let alone wherever they live. "That would be very much appreciated, but would it be any trouble if I left my ship here? I can carry the belongings I brought with me with ease."

He looks down at me from some form of device that he has in his hand that I assume is this GPS unit he mentioned. The only thing I know of a GPS is that my car used to have one and thank X'hal for that because I would have became lost many times if it did not. "No problem, I'll take care of it."

Suddenly I hear a voice that I recognize as Wally's, or rather the Flash's, echoing from a nearby corridor. "Hey Bats, come with me to the control room. I need help with working that blue hologram screen shit! Seriously why don't we just use paper around here? Everyone knows I'm technology deficient."

Both Vic's and my eyes widen at the same time. Me because if Bruce or Wally sees me here, Richard is sure to find out that I am back, and I am unsure why Vic seems to be so worried. He quickly grabs my arm and begins to lead me back in the direction we came from, and I put up no fight, wanting to get out of here before I am spotted.

"Come on Star, we don't want to keep BB and Raven waiting, do we?," he say quickly, obviously nervous about something, but I am to focused on escaping to question him. We make it to my ship rather quickly and he follows me inside, but he comes to a sudden pause when he sees some of the items I have laid out on the table near the entrance way. I silently curse in Tameranian for forgetting to put them away. I can only imagine what he thinks of me for keeping such items after so many years.

He looks down at a stuffed bear that Robin won me at the fair when were teenagers, a framed photo of Richard and I laying in the grass at the park, and an emerald necklace Richard gave me for our third anniversary before looking back over at me. His face looks sad, not judgmental. "You still love him, don't you?"

I close my eyes hard, attempting to force myself to not cry. It is amazing how just a simple question can hurt so much. Gathering myself with a deep breath I open my eyes and hastefully walk over to put my possessions away in my pink bag. I really wish he had not seen them. After having them stored away for my eyes only, I put on my bag and turn to look at him. "Please do not tell him," I beg. I do not wish to be weak, but the fact is, Richard is my greatest weakness. Even after he ripped my heart out, I would still give my life for him without any hesitation. Am I crazy? If being hopelessly in love makes you crazy, then yes.

He gives me a sad smile and places a hand on my shoulder. "I won't. I know being here is hard for you, but I really hope you stay."

I nod, unable to muster a smile, my depression having returned. "I should be getting to Raven an Gar's house now."

He nods and hands me the GPS device, a beeping dot flashing on and off on it's screen. "That'll get you there. Are you okay enough to fly?," He asks with concern.

I close my eyes and think back to a happy time, specifically when Richard took me to Disney World on vacation. I had a glorious time with him, and enjoyed the rides very much... That was back when I was everything to him, back when he was in love with me. Truthfully the happy memories of Richard and my relationship are the only things that allow me to fly, which I need to feel joy to do and he was every ounce of any joy that I felt. Now all I have left is nothing more than the memories of what once was. It is sad I know, but it is just the way things are now.

Reopening my eyes, I smile lightly from the memory of Richard telling me I should not have ate so many hotdogs before going on the roller coaster. He used to call "Ms. know it all," whenever I did not listen to him on a matter that he turned out to be right about. That time he may have had a point because I did end up doing the puking on him. He laughed about it later that day, but he was not happy with me at that very moment. I turn my attention back to Vic and nod. "Yes, I shall be the okay now."

He smiles lightly and pulls me into a hug. "I'll stop by there tonight. Tell BB and Rae I love them, and I'll see them in a bit."

I give him the biggest smile I can muster as the hug breaks. "I shall." With that I leapt from the open dock gate, instantly taking flight.

Saturday, June 1st 3:00 PM - Raven and Gar's house

3rd person POV

Following the directions of the GPS unit Vic gave her, Starfire located Gar and Raven's house with ease. It was a nice place, probably three bed rooms, and secluded, away from the noise of the city. For Raven, Starfire knew that that was a must. She didn't like many people, and could count her friends using less than ten fingers. Hell, she barely tolerated her husband at times... but then again, almost everyone had problems tolerating Gar at some time or another.

Starfire took a deep breath before slowly approaching the door. There were two vehicles sitting in the garage, a green jeep and a blue Explorer, so she could gather that they were both presently inside. Reassuring herself that they would be happy to see her, she knocked on the door, completely ignoring the doorbell at its side.

She heard a voice she knew to be Gar's call "I got it," before the sound of nearing footsteps suddenly made her nervous. For a moment she considered fleeing, but found that her legs refused to move off the concrete pathway she was standing on, so she quickly dismissed that idea.

Gar opened the door and the smile on his face disappeared. His jaw fell limp and his eyes went wide as saucers, studying the alien girl in front of him in disbelief, his mouth suddenly bone dry. He had to be dreaming, right? Or this had to be some kind of elaborate hoax Vic was pulling on him. It just couldn't be real. She had been gone for five long years, leaving without a single word to anyone, but now she was standing right in front of him, the same timid smile on her face that he knew so well. It had to be her. "Holy... Rae, you aren't going to believe this shit," he called to his wife, never taking his eyes off Starfire.

"We're not buying another one of those stupid vacuum cleaners," she warned as she approached the door, but came to a complete stop when she laid eyes on who stood there in front of her husband. Raven's eyes went wide and a light bulb exploded from within a lamp that set in the living room. Like her husband, Raven just couldn't believe the sight in front of her. Starfire was standing there, her best friend for so many years.

Raven had a hard time coping after Starfire returned to Tameran. Her first reaction when Vic called her and vaguely explained what happened, was anger, but not at Starfire. No, she was angry with Richard. How could he possibly break up with a girl who loved him so much that she could feel it from the other side of the country? Though she wasn't clear on what exactly was said, it didn't matter. Raven had fully planned to warp herself to Bludhaven and kick his ass, but when she got there, what she found surprised her.

Richard was sitting in the middle of his bedroom floor, crying, a picture of her and him in his hands. She had never seen him cry and they had faced some pretty terrible situations. She didn't understand it in the least. Did he love her? She truthfully didn't know. His mind seemed to be going back and forth with it, like an internal war was being fought inside of his heart. To this day she had no idea what Richard felt, not only about Starfire, but about anything. He just seemed... hollow.

At this very moment though, none of that mattered because a day had come that she had convinced herself never would. Starfire had returned. "Starefire," Raven said in almost a whisper before rushing up to her old friend, pushing past Gar as she did. Though Raven was a full five inches shorter than her, the girls hugged and held onto each other for dear life, tears forming in both of their eyes.

"What about me? Can't I get some love here too?," Gar complained, crossing his arms over his chest. Without opening an eye, Starfire reached out and grabbed Gar before pulling him into her death grip of a hug, which Gar found to be... painful. The problem with three-way hugs was lack of room... and air. "To much love! To much love!," Gar exclaimed. His green skin becoming slightly purple. He had forgotten just how strong she was.

Starfire quickly released both of them and wiped the tears from her eyes. "My apologies, friends. I just have missed you very much in my time away."

Raven took a deep breath to calm herself. "We've missed you too. I can't belive you're here. I thought you weren't coming back..." Raven paused when more tears started to flow from her eyes.

Starfire just once again pulled into a hug, a much softer one this time. Raven was never a fan of hugs, or touching in general, but this was fine by her. After at least five more minutes of solid hugging Raven and Gar led Starfire into their living room where they all took a seat. The first thing the alien girl saw when she entered the living room, was a picture on their coffee table. She recognized it as having been taken at a Christmas party at the tower about eight years ago. In it, all the Titan's were pictured. In the middle of everyone, Nightwing stood behind her, his hands wrapped around her waist and instead of smiling at the camera, they were kissing.

Gar used to joke about how living with them was like watching porn twenty-four/seven. She smiled at the memory of when she asked Richard, then Robin, what porn was and he almost had a stroke and absolutely refused to tell her. She then did the only thing she could think of. Google it. To say the least, she could understand why Robin wouldn't tell her. Those certainly were the good days. Not like now, when everything was about as screwed up as it could get. Her eyes snapped off the picture when she heard Raven speak. "I just... What made you come back?"

"I was the sick for my home. I have missed Earth greatly." She then lifted the GPS unit to them. "I found that Vic worked at the Watch Tower now. He gave me this in order to locate you and he said he would do the stopping by later."

"Yes! All night video game marathon, baby!," Gar exclaimed to no one in particular, pumping his fist into the air as he did.

Raven rolled her eyes at her husband. Starfire was back and he was concerned with playing video games. Even after all these years, he still had the attention span of a squirrel. She refocused on Starfire. "Are you staying this time?"

Starfire sighed and shrugged. "I am unsure. Things are very complicated and I have no Earth currency or a place to stay."

"That's ridiculous," Gar said far to loudly for his wife's liking. One thing Gar and Starfire had in common, was that the more excited they got, the louder they became. "You can totally stay here with us as long as you need. We got loads of space we don't you use, right Rae?"

She nodded, not taking her eyes off Starfire. "Of course. In fact, I'm not letting you out of this house until you agree."

"I do not wish to trouble you," Starfire replied, still unsure.

"You're staying," Raven droned, but her underlying tone told Starfire to not argue.

"Very well then. If you are sure I shall not be the burden then I shall stay." She changed the subject as she noticed a wedding photo on the wall of Gar and Raven. They looked adorable together. How she wished she could have been there to see it in person. "Vic informed me that you are now married. I am truly sorry that I was unable to make it. I did not know."

Raven raised an eyebrow at her. "You didn't know? We sent you a transmission."

Starfire's eyes widened slightly. She didn't know of any transmissions. "I am sorry. I did not receive any transmissions from Earth."

Raven could instantly tell she wasn't lying, not that she thought Starfire would lie. In fact, she honestly couldn't recount a single time that Starfire had ever told a lie, even if she probably should have. "Hmm, that's odd," Raven commented, tapping her chin. She was well aware that Gar and her weren't the only ones who had sent her a transmission, but she thought it best to just stay away from that subject.

Starfire agreed. It indeed was odd. She had specifically ordered she be made aware the moment that any transmission was received from Earth. If she hadn't received one from Raven and Gar then Richard could have possibly sent her one as well. No, she couldn't allow herself to get her hopes up only be crushed later.

Gar waved his hand dismissively. "It's no biggie. It probably just got lost in the mail." Raven was about to inform her husband that he was indeed and idiot and that was not how it worked, but before she could he continued. "All that matters is I got the woman I wanted and we're happy," he said as he slung his arm over Raven's shoulder and she relaxed against him. Raven loved her husband, but one thing bad about him, was he never thought before he spoke. "Who would think that me and Raven would get married before you and Dick."

Things in the room went deathly silent. Raven couldn't believe he actually just said that and neither could he. "Gar...," she began warningly.

"Star, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bring that up," he said quickly, hoping he didn't hurt her feelings. In Starfire's world, when it rained it poured. He knew she felt emotions much more strongly than a human ever could. Her people ran off of them after all. He knew if he lost Raven, he'd be an emotional wreck, so he couldn't see how she even got of bed in the morning. Though only Raven was aware of the eternal love aspect of her people, he could tell she still loved him. It was clear as day in her eyes. The way she glanced down at the picture on the coffee table every ten seconds only confirmed it.

She looked down and sighed. "It is the okay." Her curiosity began to burn in her like a flame that was to big to be put out. "How is he?" She didn't want to know specifics, fearing the worst, which would be he was married to another girl. She just wanted to know he was happy. Even after everything, she still hoped he was. That was real love. Wishing the best for someone even after they broke your heart.

Raven hesitated as if trying to find a way to put it. She wasn't going to tell her that he was no longer Nightwing, but instead Batman because she was almost sure the first chance Starfire got she would be on her way to Gotham, and only God knows how that would turn out. "He's... different. A lot has changed since you have been gone."

Gar decided to chime in, now being much more careful with what he said. "We don't see Dick very much anymore. He kind of stays to himself now days. Vic really sees him more than we do." That was true. Vic saw him at least a couple of times a week at the Watch Tower, but never socially. Dick had become a much darker man in Starfire's absence, but that was to be expected. Even when he was Robin, she was the only thing that balanced him out, saved him from himself. He was darkness, she was light. They needed each other to function fully. Without one another they were broken in a way.

Starfire didn't like the idea of Richard avoiding their friends one bit. They used to be so close, family even. She always knew he had a dark side, but it seemed that the longer he spent with her, the more open he became. She guessed that after she left the darkness just completely took over and he became what he eventually would have become if they had never met. It hurt her to know that he was like that, but what could she do? He had made it abundantly clear to her that he saw her as nothing more than a friend and after so many years apart he may not even consider her that anymore.

Gar seeing he once again said the wrong thing, quickly changed the subject. "But you know, that our annual reunion is coming in two weeks. You'll get to see everyone again."

Starfire swallowed hard her eyes seeming very hesitant. "Everyone?," she repeated, which both Raven and Gar knew that meant 'will Richard be there?.' The annual reunion was a special day to Starfire. Not only was it the day the Titans were formed, but it was the day she met Robin, the man who would become her entire world over the next fifteen years.

"No, not everyone. He really doesn't come to the reunions anymore," Raven informed. He actually hadn't been to a reunion or a Christmas party ever since she left, but she didn't feel the need to point that out, knowing it would only make Starfire feel worse.

Starfire was really unsure how she felt about that. On one hand, she loved him, but on the other, she wasn't ready to see him and she didn't know if she would ever be. It was a very complicated situation and her conflicted emotions spoke to that point perfectly. In the end she came to conclusion that it was best that he didn't come. He would find out she was back either way, especially if Wally was there, which in all likelihood he would be. She figured if he wanted to see her, he would seek her out.

The rest of the afternoon went rather well, everyone pretty much avoiding the topic of Richard. Eventually the night set in and Vic arrived, ending up playing Mega Monkies Ten with Gar, while Raven led Starfire to her new room. When she opened the door, Starfire found that it was very simple, but she didn't need much. The walls were a teal color and the floor was wood tiles. A queen sized bed sat in the center of the room with a flat screen television on the far wall.

"Will this be alright?," Raven asked from behind her best friend.

Starfire turned to her and gave a small smile. "Yes, this shall be more than adequate. I am very appreciative of you letting me stay here with you."

Raven smiled lightly. "Don't mention it. That's what family is for."

Family. The word resonated in Starfire's ear. She longed for family, but one with Richard. A three bedroom house for them and there two children, Richard telling her he loved her every night before they went sleep, them being awoken by their children on Christmas morning before the sun was even up, so that they could open the presents that Santa had brought them. She desired that more than anything. Letting out a sigh that didn't go unnoticed by Raven, she smiled. "I thank you."

Raven studied her a moment before nodding. "Promise me you won't go anywhere," she demanded.

"I promise I shall be here in the morning. I have no where to go to." In the back of her mind, Starfire did consider flying to Bludhaven an putting on a light show to attract the attention of a certain hero, but that idea was quickly dismissed. Nightwing wanted nothing to do with her.

Raven just nodded once more before turning to head out the door, but paused right before walking out of the room. "Star... you know we love you, right?"

Starfire smiled. "Of course. I love you all as well."

Raven returned her smile before continuing on her way, leaving Starfire to unpack her things. Now alone, she set her bag down on the bed and began to remove her most treasured items. She put her picture of her and Richard on the nightstand beside her bed, the same place it had been on Tameran for the last five years. She then took out her bear a laid it on the mattress. Needing none of her other possessions, she put her bag in the floor before undressing completely and turning off the light in the room.

Before she laid down she picked up the picture off of the nightstand and placed her lips to the glass very gently. "I love you, Richard," she whispered, tears gathering in her eyes. Making no attempt to wipe them away, she grabbed her teddy bear and wrapped her arms around it before laying down and releasing every ounce of the pain that she had to hide everyday in public.

What made this even worse was that this was a nightly routine for her, having done the same thing every night for the last five years, and it looked as if it would be continuing the rest of her life. No one could possibly understand what she was going through. To say she was in love with Richard would be the biggest understatement of all time. Out of all the languages she knew, their was not a word strong enough to describe how she felt about that man.

She only wished he could say the same about her...

Sunday, June 2nd 12:00 AM - Gotham

Richard's POV

Six billion. There are over six billion people on the planet, yet as I stand out on this ledge tonight, looking out over the city, I feel all alone, like the world and everyone one in it just doesn't exist. Like it's just me, trapped in this seemingly endless darkness called life. The days drag on, but I don't seem to notice anymore. It's like I'm on autopilot and I just go with the motions, not really noticing anything.

Am I depressed? No. In order to be depressed you have to feel something. I don't feel anything anymore. To be honest, one could question if I'm even alive. Just because you walk, talk, eat, sleep, breathe, I don't think that is what makes a person alive. I feel no more than a dead person does, so am I not dead? Maybe not externally, but internally? Yes, I would have to say I am.

When did it start? The moment I opened the door and she was gone. I told her that was I no longer in love with her, which was the truth... or at least I thought it was it was at the time. It wasn't until she was gone that I saw just how wrong I was. I guess the saying is true, you don't know what you have until it's gone. I sent her transmission after transmission, almost every moth for three years, at first begging her to come back, then just talking to her about every aspect of my day-to-day life,but she never answered and truthfully I don't blame her.

She probably hates me now, and that's okay. I wanted her to hate me, I wanted the world to come crashing down on me, to make me feel like I made her feel, to break me until there is nothing left, and that's exactly what I got.

After she left I went into a state of complete depression, stopped going into public, and started drinking heavily. I would put myself, or rather Nightwing into dangerous situations on purpose, hoping someone would kill me, that they end this hell that I was living in. If it weren't for Babs and Wally, I'm sure I would be dead by now. They were the only ones who knew how bad I actually was, and forced me to go to rehab for alcohol addiction. Yes, they did save my life, rather I wanted them to or not is a different story.

Last year my dad finally gave up the cowl and I was the only one who could replace him. Gotham needed a Batman, and for awhile it gave me something I had lost. A purpose. It didn't take long for things dim once again. I became nothing more than a ghost of a man, able to see, but unable feel. Not much has changed since then. If anything, things have gotten worse.

Starfire was the only happiness in my life, the light that guided me through the darkness, and without her, I'm lost. No religion can save me, no medication can treat me, no hope can find it's way in the darkness of my heart. Maybe soon it will all be over and I can finally rest my eyes. Hell, doesn't scare me anymore. I have lived in hell for five years.

Sunday, June 2nd 11:00 AM - Richard's pent house.

I wake up to the sound of my phone buzzing on the nightstand beside my bed and Silkie, mine and Starfire's pet giant moth larva, wiggling on my chest, as if pleading with me to answer it already. As I reach for my phone I briefly pause at the framed photo of me and Starfire at the beach propped up beside it. She's so beautiful, far beyond anything I could compare her to. I bet she looks exactly the same way now. Her smile, it just has a way of lighting up the room. I hope she still smiles, even if I don't, I hope she's happy, even though I'm not, I hope she loves, even though I can't.

With a sigh I grab my phone to see that I have a voice message and one missed call from Wally. We pretty much see each other everyday, but he still feels the need to wake me on a regular basis.I put the phone on speaker as I check it.

"Hey boss, just wanted to remind the reunion is coming up. I would ask if you were coming, but you would just say no and hang up, so I'm making you this year." He then paused. "Oh, and by the way, I kind of broke into your house last night. Ran out of milk and had a serious craving for some fruit loops." The message ends with a beep and just look blandly at my phone before glancing at the photo of me and Star once more, and rolling out of bed to begin another day in this living hell of a life.

* * *

**The image of Starfire kissing the photo, for some reason, that got me. It was jut so sad. I really what they would feel when I write this stuff. Next chapter: The Titans have their annual reunion and when not only Starfire, but Batman shows up, things get interesting. They have a lot to talk about. Remember to review if you want an update.**


	3. Not To Late

Chapter Three - Not To Late

**Flair - Breaking Point is actually done for the most part. I'm just filling in some details.**

**Robstar123 - Character ages**

**Dick Grayson/Batman - 30**

**Kori Anders/Starfire - 30**

**Rachel Roth/Raven - 29**

**Garfield Logan/Beast Boy- 29**

**Victor Stone/Cyborg - 32**

**Barbra Gordon/Oracle - 31**

**Wally West/Flash - 31**

**Tim Drake/Red Robin - 17**

**Damian Wayne/Robin - 9**

**Helena Wayne/Huntress 18**

**Bruce Wayne/ex-Batman - 48**

**Selina Wayne(Kyle)/ex-Catwoman - 45**

* * *

Friday, June 13th 3:00 PM - Wayne Manor

3rd person POV

"Why do I have to go?," Damian Wayne whined to his older brother, who was forcing him to take a last-minute trip to California with him to attend some stupid Titan reunion party.

"Because Wally is making me go and Robin goes where Batman goes," Richard answered from where he was tying his tie in front of a mirror, preparing to depart for Jump on a Wayne private jet within the next two hours. "Besides," he continued turning to his youngest brother. "Five years from now, you'll be leading the Titans. Every Robin does it. It's just the way things are."

Damian rolled his eyes and crossed his arms over his chest. "Jason didn't do it. I'd rather be in Gotham."

Richard's eyes narrowed on his side-kick. "Jason died and even after he came back he turned into a criminal. Red-x and Red Hood ring any bells?" Jason was still a touchy subject for both Richard and Bruce. They both had given their trust to him and he betrayed them. He lacked that quality that the rest of the Bat Family had that kept them from blurring the line between right and wrong. When Damian didn't respond Richard calmed slightly. "Being apart of the Titans was one of the best times of my life. It'll teach you team work that you could never learn working with me."

"The only reason you say that is because Aunt Kori was with you then," Damian retorted without thinking. He didn't remember Starfire that well directly, being only four when she left, but he spent a good portion of his time at Richard's house and their were more than a few photos of the couple lying around as if they had been untouched in five years. Starfire was never brought up in conversation when talking to Richard and the glare he was shooting his way made Damian understand why.

"I suggest you go sit down until it's time to leave," Richard said, his suggestion really being more of an order.

Damian swallowed and nodded, knowing he had went to far and didn't want to test his brother's patience any further. Batman was not the person you wanted to piss off. "Right." Damian quickly walked away, leaving Richard alone with his thoughts. Sighing, he reached into the pocket of his grey Armani suit and pulled out his cell phone. Turning on the screen's light, he stared somberly down at his screen-saver. There she was, standing in front of their Christmas tree, dressed in a flirtatious Santa suit that showed off her long tan legs quite well.

That picture was taken seven years ago, but he could remember it just like it was yesterday. Starfire always took decorating overboard, but that year she had really went all out. Their house was decorated with so many lights that he was almost positive that it could be seen from space. She was always so excited about Christmas and to the day she left she was fully convinced that Santa Clause was real. He never had the heart to tell her otherwise, so every year he would have to manage to escape the death grip she called snuggling and sneak out of the room to put her presents under the tree.

Christmas was always his favorite day of the year because she smiled all day long. Her smile was what drove him during some of the hardest times in his life, but without her around, there was nothing that gave him that spark, or even the desire to live really. He was truly an empty man. At least he could fly to Jump, spend a couple of nights and get back on Sunday. He hated being around his former team. They always asked how he was doing, when all of them knew the answer quite well. He was broken. There was no other way to say it. A piece of him was gone and it couldn't be replaced no matter how hard he tried.

Every girl was the same. Superficial, snobbish, gold digging skanks, only concerned with money and fame. Starfire never cared about any of that. No, she was truly different, unique to the point that her sanity could have been questioned at times. There wasn't another girl in the world like Starfire. All she asked for was love and he couldn't even give her that. He told her he no longer loved her, he broke her heart, caused her to leave, and it was his biggest regret. Did he love her now? He didn't know, but what he was sure of, was that he missed her everyday he breathed. He wished she was here, here with him. That was were she belonged, not on Tameran, but on Earth, by his side.

If he had one wish it would be that he could go back in time and change what he said, change what he done. Maybe then she'd still be here, maybe then she'd still love him. Was their realtionship healthy? No, they forgot what was important, they forgot to make time for each other and it ended up driving them apart... but maybe if they had worked on it, they could have fixed it, maybe he should have tried harder instead of throwing ten years of his life down the drain. Maybe if he just got one more chance he could get things right.

So many maybes. If only they were reality.

Saturday, June 14th 5:45 PM - Raven and Gar's house

Starfire paced back and forth across her friends living room floor, mumbling to herself in Tameraninan as she did. Raven and Gar looked on, knowing she was very nervous. She had asked at least a hundred times if they were sure that Richard wasn't going to be there, them assuring her he wouldn't each time, but that didn't help to calm her nerves.

She couldn't explain it, but she just knew something wasn't right, that something was going to happen and it had her on edge. Starfire knew she would calm once they had arrived at the tower, but until then she was perfectly "the okay" with having her miniature panic attack. She knew rather Richard showed up or not, he was going to find out she was on Earth. Wally was sure to be there and Richard's brother, Tim Drake or Red Robin, was the current leader of the Titans, so he would be there as well.

She couldn't help but to wonder what would happen when Richard found out. Would he call her? Maybe he would even fly there in person. Would he have missed her and maybe want to try again? She knew all of those things were unlikely, but there was that ounce of hope in her mind, or rather in her heart, that just maybe he still cared about her on some level, maybe he thought about her sometimes at night when he was laying down alone... at least she hoped he was alone.

One thing that complicated her emotions was that she still didn't know anything about his current life besides that he kept to himself more. He could still be married and have kids, or maybe it was just a girlfriend, but that would still be enough to drive her crazy. Raven, Gar, and Vic almost never talked about him, at least if they did, they didn't do it in front of her, and that led her to believe that something wasn't quite right. She knew he wasn't dead, so what could it be? Her mind obviously assumed the worst, which again that was he was married.

The warrior side of Starfire would love to grab whoever she was by the throat and drag her back to Tameran to challenge her for the right to be with Richard... unless it was Babs. She knew Babs would take care of him, but that didn't mean she had to like it, and she wouldn't. Not one bit. He belonged to her, or at least he should. Maybe he realized that when she left, but then why didn't he try to contact her? She guessed it was true, he meant what he said when he told her he wasn't in love with her anymore. That was the only thing that could explain it... She just couldn't see him. It would hurt her just to much.

She sighed and halted her pacing long enough to look over at Raven and Gar. "Maybe I should not go, just in case he does the showing up."

"You're going," Raven droned, leaving no room for argument. "Dick's in..." she paused, nearly saying Gotham. "New York." Better to be vague than lie.

"Yeah Star, just relax. He hasn't came to one of these things in five years," Gar said, assuring her it would be alright.

Starfire sighed and plopped down into a chair near the couch. "Yes, I am just doing worrying of myself for nothing. Everything shall be the okay when we arrive."

Raven glanced down at her phone, finding that it was nearly six. "Speaking of arriving, we should probably go. I'm sure most of everyone is already there."

Starfire took a deep breath to calm the 'flies of butter' she was feeling before nodding. "Yes, let us go. I am most anxious to see our old friends."

The group stood and instead of heading for the door to go out to the vehicles, Raven's eyes began to glow white and suddenly all three of them were engulfed by the darkness of the raven emerging from the floor. The next thing Starfire knew, she could hear music playing and opened her eyes to find they were standing by the couch in the tower's common room, a place her and Robin used to get in trouble for doing 'the making out.'

A good amount of the former Titans were already there, including Bumble Bee, Herald, Hot Spot, Argent, Flash, Jinx, Wonder Woman or Donna, who had taken over for Diana, Mas Y Meos, Aqualad, and Cyborg, as well as the new Titans west, Red Robin, Superboy, Supergirl, Static, and Huntress. The Screech of the black raven was enough to draw everyone one's attention, but finding not only Raven and Beast Boy standing there, but Starfire as well, was enough to keep it.

Things were dead silent for a moment, everyone having their own reactions to seeing her. Wally ran his hand down his face, knowing what this meant. Of course she would be here tonight! The first time he gets Dick to do something social in years and she comes out of nowhere! "Oh, shit," he mumbled.

"What?," Jinx asked from beside him.

"Dicks's on his way here right now," he whispered into her ear so no one else heard.

"Oh, shit," she repeated, her eyes now wide.

Meanwhile, over in the kitchen where all the current Titans sat, Red Robin and Huntress traded horrified glances, knowing there oldest brother was supposed to show up, and that he and Starfire had a very... dramatic break up, one that left Richard in shambles for years. "This isn't good is it?" Huntress asked her brother.

He shook head. "Nope."

Static being pretty much the only one in the room, who didn't know their past together asked, "what isn't good?"

Red Robin pointed to Starfire. "Her and Batman dated for like forever and he'll be here tonight."

"Let the drama begin," Supergirl exclaimed, earning frowns from everyone at the table even though she had a point. This was sure to be something to watch.

Despite the mumbling from around the room, barely anything could be over the music playing from the tower's speakers. That was until... "Eeeeeeeek!" Donna shrieked before rocketing herself across the room at Starfire, who flew into the air to intercept her. Over the years her and Donna had become very close, almost as close as Starfire was to Raven. The girls hugged tightly as they floated in mid-air, each with beaming smiles on their faces.

"You're back!," Donna squealed, as she leaned back to look at one of her best friends, still holding onto Starfire's waist.

Due the clothing each girl was wearing, or lack there of, each guy in the room took interest in the scene, especially Wally. "You know, if I didn't think all hell was about to break loose, this would be so hot," he commented aloud, earing a slap on the back of the head from his now pissed off girlfriend. Wally really did have no filter.

"Yes, I returned two Earth weeks ago," Starfire replied, slowly lowering herself back to the floor, Donna following.

"Why didn't you call me?," the dark-haired woman questioned.

Starfire lowered her voice, making sure no one else heard. "I am doing the avoiding of Richard and wanted to keep on the down low as they say."

Donna gave her a sympathetic smile, oblivious to the fact that Richard was coming. She understood why Starfire would want to avoid him. He had broken her heart so badly that she left Earth for five years. She could even venture to guess that she still loved him, but she wouldn't bring that up, not tonight anyway. The girls continued their conversation for a few more minutes before Starfire moved on to greet each of her old friends.

Saturday, June 14th 7:00 PM - Titan's Tower

3rd Person POV

After the initial shock of Starfire's return faded everyone seemed to relax and fall back into casual conversation, well besides Wally, Jinx, and the new Titans. They were all rather jumpy to say the least. Everytime the elevator would open all, of their heads would swivel over in wide eyed panic, only to relax slightly one they saw that it wasn't him. Wally had tried calling him ten times already, in an attempt to tell him to go to his house, lock the door, and never go anywhere ever again, but of course his phone was off.

Wally was truly worried about this situation. Richard was his best friend and he knew, rather Richard would admit it or not, that he was still in love with Starfire. After she had left it was like Richard did too. His body was still there, but his heart was on some far way planet called Tameran. He just wasn't himself anymore. Hell, if it wasn't for Wally and Babs he'd probably would have killed himself by now.

Wally was smart enough know tonight was going to go one of two ways. Either Starfire could bring Richard out of the blackness he had lost himself in or seeing her would cause him to regress and Wally wasn't sure he or Babs could save him again. This was a gamble and though Wally loved to bet, he wasn't willing to risk his best friend's life, but what could he do? He didn't know where Richard was and he wouldn't answer his damn phone. This was just like watching two cars headed straight for each other. You know it's going to turn out bad, but there's nothing you can do to stop it.

To make the situation worse Starfire was approaching him and Jinx at that very moment and he didn't know what to do or say. Should he tell her? If he did, then what? Oh, he really wished he left Richard alone and let him brood all he wanted. At least this sure to be disaster wouldn't happen.

"Greetings Flash, Hello Jinx," Starfire beamed as she came to a stop in front of him. Seeing all of her old friends was really doing wonders for her emotions. Even if it was only temporary, she was going to enjoy her happiness while it lasted.

He laughed nervously and Jinx abruptly excused herself, claiming to have to use the bathroom. Wally glared at his girlfriend's retreating form before turning back to Starfire and put on his best smile. "Star, it's good to see you're back," he said, giving her a hug.

"Yes, it is good to see you as well. I has been glorious to see everyone again," she replied cheerfully.

Just the Raven and Gar came up at her side. "My feet hurt, I am so ready for this night to be over," Gar whined. "It's sooooo boring."

"Won't be that for long," Wally commented under his breath before continuing the conversation with his old friend. Right when he was about to make an excuse to get the hell out of there, the elevator door swished open. Everyone turned to see a tall, dark figure walk into the room, a black cape draped over him. It was none other than the dark knight himself, Robin following behind.

Chatter in the room picked it up until the collective whispered overtook the sound of the music. Everyone glanced between Batman and Starfire in horror, realizing the magnitude of this situation. Starfire, oblivious to the looks, looked on at Batman, feeling very confused, before leaning over toward Raven. "Why is K'norfka Bruce here.? He was never a Titan."

Raven gulped, her normally pale skin being at least three shades lighter. "Starfire... that's not Bruce."

Starfire raised and eyebrow and turned her attention back to Batman. "But if it is not Bruce, then..." She stopped mid-sentence, her eyes widening in realization. Oh no, this was not good. "Richard," she breathed. It had to be him, there was no one else it could possibly be.

Batman, still unaware of Starfire's presence, looked around the room to find that all action had stopped, everyone completely frozen in place. He knew he didn't often make an appearance, but this was an overreaction. The red of Flash's suit caught his eye and he turned toward his friend, and that's when he saw her.

His knees instantly went weak, almost giving out on him and his heart came to a complete stand still. He couldn't believe what he was seeing. There she was, looking back him with timid eyes, her breathtakingly beautiful figure standing out in the crowd. She looked exactly like he imagined she would, not a thing changing even after all these years. She was still the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. The sound of the music and all the people in the room faded out into nothingness, leaving only them standing there, staring back it each other. It was like a moment from a movie or one of the dreams he had experienced countless times.

For the first time in what felt like forever, he felt emotions course through him, and of course she was the cause of it. He swallowed hard as his legs began to move forward without his brains consent, his heart taking over all of his actions. The next thing he knew, he found himself standing directly in front of her, not knowing what the hell he was doing, but then again he didn't care. She was here, that was all that mattered to him at the moment.

Her heart pounded like a drum in her chest and she could swear that he could hear it, which caused her to blush. She never had felt more emotions at one time. Happiness, scared, anxiousness, sadness, shock, shy, excited, love, and so many more. Her brain was numb and she couldn't form a single thought that made any sense to her. She wanted to say something, anything, but all she could do was stare up at him and nervously twiddle her right foot. She couldn't believe he was here, but not only that, but he had approached her with almost no hesitation.

"Star... you... you're here. You're back. When?" It wasn't the smoothest thing he ever said, but right now smooth wasn't an option. The girl he had spent the best ten years of his life with was standing right in front of him after being gone for five long years.

"Boss, I just feel the need to say that I didn't know anything about this!," Wally defended himself. He was so not doing extra work for this shit.

Neither Starfire or Batman even heard him, far to focused on each other. She shifted nervously, trying to advert her eyes, but they refused to look away. "I arrived two Earth weeks ago. I am living with Raven and Gar until I can find the job and get my own place."

Two weeks! She had been here for two weeks and he didn't know about it! Why hadn't anyone told him? "Why didn't you come find me, or call me, or something?," he asked almost breathlessly.

She felt a sudden burst of joy surge through her. He wanted to see her! He actually wanted see her! "I... I am sorry. I was not made aware you were no longer Nightwing and did not know where to look." Her reasons were actually much deeper then that, but she wasn't going to get personal, at least not in front of everyone. Her eyes found the small boy at Batman's side. She recognized him as Damian Wayne. He had only been three or four when she left, so she was surprised when he spoke up.

"Aunt Kori?," he questioned.

She beamed a smile, delighted that he remembered her. Though she obviously wasn't his aunt, that's what Richard had always referred to her as when he was talking to Damian and she happily went along with it. "Yes, it is me," she assured him. Robin moved into hug her and she wrapped her arms around him the best she could with their two foot hight difference, he only coming up to her belly button. "I am surprised you remember me."

"I couldn't forget you even if I wanted too. Someone has pictures of you all over his..." Robin paused when he saw his oldest brother send him the bat glare, warning him to shut up. "Never mind."

Starfire looked at Batman, her arms still around Robin. "You have pictures of me?"

"Well, I mean... I have some lying around here and there. You were... are my best friend after all," he replied, becoming slightly nervous. Best friend. That would never be enough for her, but the fact that he clearly still thought about her was enough to bring a smile to her face. Seeing her beautiful smile relaxed him slightly. He glanced around the room to find that all eyes were still on them. It was actually pretty creepy. "Umm, do you want to go to the roof, so we can talk in private?"

The roof. A place that had so many memories for them. She looked over to the window to find that the sun was just starting to set before looking back at him. "Yes, I believe that is acceptable."

Batman held his hand out to her and blushing furiously, she took and he led her toward the metallic doors of the common room.

Bumble Bee looked over at Cyborg from where she stood beside him. "A hundred bucks says they bang."

He just wordlessly nodded, knowing that was very possible, especially if they were anything like they used to be around each other.

Flash feeling the need to spy on them, just to make sure everything was okay of course, took off into a dead sprint for the door, but right as he neared it, he ran face first into a black force field of Raven's energy, causing him to hit the floor like a bird flying into a window.

"No one's going anywhere. They`need their privacy. I'll be monitoring their emotions just in case something goes wrong, so no one has any reason to be up there," Raven said warningly, ever Titan knowing Raven was not the person to argue with.

"Rae," Gar whispered, getting her attention. "You said you're monitoring their emotions. Can you feel Dick's? Does he love her?"

"I can't be for sure, his mind is to clouded... but I think so."  
Saturday, June 14th 7:15 PM - roof

3rd person POV

Starfire and Richard sat in the middle of the roof of the tower, watching the golden sun slowly sink into the horizon line. Neither said a word, both trying to get a grip on what exactly just had happened. An hour ago one was a terminate emotional wreck, while the other could be considered suicidal, but now they both were... happy? Of course there were a hurricane of other emotions swirling through them, casuing them to be endlessly conflicted, but happy was the most prominent.

A slow smile spread across Starfire's face as she remembered this evening was much like the one in which Richard told her he loved her. That was so long ago. Over thirteen years now, but this felt right for both of them, like they had done this exact thing so many times that it was second nature by now.

"I have missed this," Starfire spoke up in a soft tone, allowing her thoughts to flow from her mouth.

Richard, now cowlless looked over at her and she back at him. "Me too," he responded honestly. He had dreamed of this so many times, that they would just be sitting watching the sunset like old times, but now that it was actually happening... It was just indescribable.

She smiled, looking into his electric blue eyes that she had fallen so deeply in love with. "You are Batman now I see."

He nodded. "Bruce's knees finally gave out on him. Someone had to take over until Tim was ready and after him it'll be Damian, then my kid and so on."

Starfire's smile fell from her face, replaced by a dejected expression. "You have a child?"

He urgently clarified. "No, I'm just saying that when I have a kid, he'll likely take over the role at some point."

Her expression did not change. "So, you are married then? To Babs, yes?," she questioned even though she feared that she knew the answer. This wasn't right, none of it was. He was supposed to be with her. He should be with her, no one else. They belonged together.

Once again he found himself hastefully clarifing. "No. No, Babs is married... but not me," he added quickly. "She married a man named Jason, I'm single still." The only girl he had any desire to be with left the planet five years ago.

A huge sigh of relief escaped Starfire. "Oh, that is good." Her eyes widen when she realized how forward that sounded. "I mean that Babs has found someone she wishes to spend her life with."

Richard absently ran his hand trough his hair. "Yeah, he's a good guy. I did a background check on him and everything." It was sad to admit, but he didn't plan on being around very long at the time Babs met Jason, so he wanted to make sure she had someone who he knew would take care of her and Jason turned out to be just the man she deserved. He was one of the few civilians that knew who the legendary Batman was. That just spoke to how much Richard and the rest of the Bat Family trusted him.

Refocusing on the angel of a woman beside him, his smile returned. He hadn't smiled in so long that he really forgot what it felt like, but just one look at her could bring it out of him so easily. His suddenly face became more hesitant when he remembered something. "Star... can I... can I ask you something?" He had faced off against Deathstroke, Bane, and the Joker without batting an eyelash, but this innocent faced woman was enough to make the all mighty Batman studder like a love-struck teenager.

She nodded, her face turning curious. "Of course, Richard."

He sighed and adverted his eyes to the barely there sun. "Why did you never answer my transmissions? Do you hate me that much?"

Her eyes widened. She could deal with missing a transmission from Raven and Gar, but Richard had been trying to contact her all this time? No, that infuriated her. At this very moment she imagined herself flying back to the royal palace on Tameran and raising hell like it had never been rose before. To make this whole situation worse he thought she hated him. No, it was quite the opposite. "No Richard, I assure you I do not hate you. I never received any transmission from Earth, someone must have..." She paused mid-sentence when she came to a sudden realization. Who would have the most to gain from her remaining on Tameran? "Karras," she spat the name like venom.

"Who?," Richard questioned, not recognizing the name.

"He is my husband," she explained, but before Richard could lose his mind, which he was about to judging by the look on his, she quickly went into further clarification. "Diplomatic husband. We have never done the sleeping together." When she saw him breathe a sigh of relief, it gave her great satisfaction. He was jealous, or at least that is how it appeared. "He must have kept the news of the transmissions from me in order to keep me on Tameran."

It made Richard feel a lot better to know that she hadn't received his Transmissions, especially after the stuff he said on them, but that brought up some questions. "So then, why did you decide to come back? ...Not that I'm not happy you did."

She gave him a huge smile for admitting he wanted here there. It made her feel joy beyond words to know that. "I was sick for my home." She looked down breifly, debating rather or not to say something. "I have heard the saying 'home is where the heart is,' and I suppose that is true."

Richard's face grew very serious, but still somehow managed to keep his gaze soft. "Your heart is here?"

Starfire looked up to meet his eyes, able to see the passion in them and was sure that her eyes reflected his. "Yes, my heart is on Earth. With my friends... with you." She knew she was probably saying to much and she didn't care in the least right now. This, them here, staring endlessly into each other's eyes, it felt right, like this was the way things should be.

Without allowing his thoughts to discourage him, he slowly reached and took her hand before laying down on his side and pulling her so that she was laying next to him. Neither had the slightest idea what they were doing, only reacting on impulses and emotions at his point. Starfire scooted closer and laid her head down on his arm, the whole time keeping their hands interlocked. She was impossibly nervous, her heart rate much faster then it should be, and her confusion only made things worse. What was he doing? Why was he being affection to her? Did he still love her? ...Why was he crying?

Richard, the toughest man she had ever met, was actually crying. Not hard sobs, but tears just slowly running down his face, only to fall to the ground with an insignificant splash. On instinct to comfort the man she loved, Starfire reached her free hand up slowly, whipping the tears away, not even aware that she herself was also in tears. "Richard, what is wrong?"

Richard shook his head, this moment getting to him, making him feels things he thought he no longer could, making him reflect on things the he never wanted to remember. "What the hell happened to us, Star? Where did we go wrong?," he asked, his voice week.

Those were questions Starfire had asked herself everyday for the last five years, spending countless hours thinking about them. "We lost sight of what was important, we lost sight of the only thing that truly mattered. We let careers and obligations become a higher priority then each other, when we should have always been each others first priority. We both made mistakes, some of which we may not even realize."

Richard rolled onto his back, looking up at the now present stars in the black sky above, a despair filled sigh escaping him. "I just wish I could go back in time and fix everything I did. I wish I would have tried to work things out instead of ignoring things until they got so bad that they couldn't be fixed."

Starfire moved so that her entire upper body was laying on top of him. Yes, it was a provocative position, but it was just... natural to her. "You do?"

He wrapped an arm around her, feeling the need to have her as close to him as possible. "There's a saying that states regret nothing because the past can't be changed, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't regret how things turned out between us," he replied, more tears finding there way into his eyes as if he was finally releasing all the pain he had felt over the last five years.

Starfire studied the black suit covering his muscular chest before beginning to shift nervously. "Perhaps... perhaps it is not to late. Perhaps we could do the starting over," she suggested, peeking up at his eyes in the cutest way, the butterflies in her stomach becoming eagles. Maybe the suggestion was to bold, but she had to say it. She already had to live with enough 'what ifs' and she didn't want anymore. If he rejected her at least she could always know that she tried.

He studied her a moment, his hands running themselves up and down her back without his knowledge of it. Not to late? Maybe it wasn't. Maybe he still had a chance at happiness. Maybe she could be his angel and save him from himself. Maybe they could do this right this time, or rather he could. Maybe there was still hope, no matter how little. "You want to try again?," he asked, almost a hopeful tone in his voice.

Her already orangish skin turned a bright shade of red. There was no way she could just pretend like none of this ever happened and just jump back into a relationship with him, but maybe they could start over from the very beginning and work their way up "I... I am not ready for the relationship, and I am certain you are not either, but perhaps we could be friends and do the going from there? I do not know how you feel and I do not wish to do the assuming, but I believe there has to be at least something left. We did the dating for eight years, so we had to be doing some things right, did we not?"

He was quite for a moment, lost in his thoughts. To say there was something left between them was like calling a Wayne Enterprise's' building a tool shed. When he saw her earlier it was like an explosion of unbridled emotion going off inside of him, like fireworks exploding in the night-time sky. He truthfully felt more happiness in a split second than he had felt in five years. When he finally spoke it was like a breath of fresh air to her. "Yeah." A slow smile spread across his face. "Yeah, that would be okay. It'll be just like the first time we met... except you don't have to kiss me this time... but if you want too, who am I to stop you?" he teased, a lop-sided smile making its way onto face his face, a look that she knew so well that she could describe every detail of it with her eyes shut.

She giggled and shook her head, knowing he was only 'doing the kidding' with her. Did she want to kiss him? That and so much more, but things had to be taken slow. She was happy beyond words that they were going to attempt this, but she knew if it didn't work out, she was going to end up crushed all over again, not that she had recovered from the first time. They had to do this the right way. "No, I did not know what a kiss was when I first met you, so therefore that does not do the counting." Her face turned thoughtful and she seemed almost reluctant to say something. "May I inquire something?"

"Of course."

She looked him directly in the eyes, refusing to look away no matter how much her shyness begged her to. "I must know if you care about me still."

"I've never stopped." He spoke the words without a hesitation, leaving her feeling very confident that he indeed did care about her. She could have continued to press on about how much, but she knew that this was going to be a marathon, not a sprint. The had established a base and that was good enough for her... at least for the night.

Feeling playful for the first time in years, she grinned down at him. "I am going to lay my head down. Do not do the getting of any ideas."

He leaned up and softly kissed her forehead, causing her eyes to shut her eyes and her breath to hitch. "I wouldn't dream of it." He would definitely be dreaming of it.

They spent hours talking about absolutely nothing and enjoying every second of it. There was no doubt in either of there minds that this was the best day they had experienced in the last five years and both fought to not go to sleep because that meant it had to end and they would be faced with so much uncertainty in the morning... but at least they had each other and that was enough to ease their minds into the best slumber that either had in years.

Through all the confusion, doubts, reluctance and uncertainty, one thing was for sure. somewhere far away, some higher power far beyond their comprehension, had hit the redo button, had given them a chance to start all over again, just like they were meeting for the first time.

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**I love this chapter! It took me awhile to get an emotional feel for what their reactions would be. Anger just didn't make sense to me. There friends now. A friendship that involves being in love with each other can't be easy. Next Chapter: Kori and Richard do "the hanging out," both find that they are a "little" jealous, and Richard makes a surprising offer to Starfire. Also, the rest of the Titans have a bet going on with all of this. That should be funny. I seriously don't want to do a review cap... but... just review... seriously.**


	4. Friend Date

Chapter Four - "Friend" Date

**Hello, fluff. I want you all to keep in mind that this story was put in the angst category for a reason, so don't get overly happy yet.**

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Sunday, June 15th 8:00 AM - roof

Starfire's POV

I lay half awake, my face buried into Richard's chest in order to avoid the sun shining in my eyes. I feel him shift under me and his arms wrap around my lower back. smiling a little, I do the reflecting on the events of last night. I am obviously immensely happy, but there is still an underlying layer of confusion. I love him, that I am clearly certain of, but there are still many questions that need to be answered.

He lives in Gotham, all the way across the country. How are we to truly do the starting over if we never see each other? He is Batman now and I know he must be very busy. I cannot expect him to fly back here ever weekend just to see me. Also, I am curious as to how he feels about me. Obviously I shall not ask him that, at least not anytime soon. He will tell me if he wishes to. Another thing that is doing the concerning of me are the rules to this "friendship." It was not made aware if we are allowed to do the seeing of other people, while we are doing the attempting of this.

I obviously have no interest in doing the dating with anyone who is not Richard, but does he feel the same way? Women have always done the flirting with him, even when they were aware we were in the committed relationship. I have no problem making him aware that I am not happy with it. I may not have voiced my love for him yet, but I will not hide the fact I dislike him speaking with other women.

Yes, things between us will indeed be complicated. I have no delusions about that, but it is worth it. If we find our way back to each other, then I have no doubt that it shall be the most glorious day of my life. I will surely do the crying, but they will be tears of pure joy instead of the sad ones I have become so accustomed to.

"Star," I hear Richard whisper and feel his hands run through my hair, causing me to get the chills. It truly does feel like the way it used to be when we first met. I used to become quite nervous, yet excited every time he touched me. I feel very similar to that now. I have craved his touch for so long that the sensations are amplified by a great degree. I just wish to kiss him right now, but I do not believe that it would be acceptable, not at this stage at least.

I peek my eyes open and tilt my head enough to where I can see him smiling lightly down at me, then sun causing his eyes to almost glow. "Greetings Richard, did you sleep well?"

He chuckles a bit, his eyes showing his amusement. "I'm a thirty year old man sleeping on concrete. My back is going to hurt like hell for a week," he replies to me with a joking smile.

Truthfully that was the first night I have slept all the way through the night without waking up because of the mares of night... Nightmares, I mean. I grin at him playfully. "I slept quite well and I am the same age as you are. I believe you are just being the baby who cries."

He frowns at me, but I know the look in his eyes is anything but angry. "You're calling me a cry baby, huh?"

I continue to tease him, are playful banter reminding me of how things used to be. "And what are you to do if I am?"

A mischievous gleam forms in his eye and from many years of living with this man, I instantly know what he is planning. Before I even have a chance to defend myself or fly away, he flips me so that he is now on top and mounting me. If did not know the horror that was about to come this may do the turning of me on. He makes a tickling motion with his hands and I shriek loudly as he attacks my sides.

With my strength I could easily remove him from on top of me, but I have to admit I am enjoying this a little to much. I laugh and squeal gleefully as I squirm under him, pleading for him to cease, but he just continues, smiling the entire time. Robin would have never been so bold with me when we first met, but we are adults now... at least on the outside.

I manage to escape him briefly, crawling away as fast as I can, but he quickly captures me from behind, now centering his assault on my pits of the arm, the most ticklish spot on my body. We have had this battle many times in the past and he is well of aware of that fact. As I laugh uncontrollably, I manage to roll on to my back, which in the end only puts me in a worse position. I try to catch his hands, but he is far to quick and ends up pinning both of mine behind my head with one of his, while he continues his assault with his free one.

"Richard... please... do the stopping," I plead in between laughs, although I clearly do not want him to.

"Say you're sorry for calling me a cry baby," he demands playfully, continuing to tickle me as he does.

"I... am... sorry! You are not the baby who cries!," I scream in one breath. He stops, but its still takes me a moment to catch my breath. I notice he has not dismounted me, his hands now resting on my stomach and he is staring into my eyes, his face suddenly serious.

"You know Star, I'm really glad you're back," he says softly.

I feel my body warm dramatically and I am sure that I am blushing. "I am glad to be home. I must admit, at first I was not sure that I would stay very long, but now I think this may very well be permanent." The reason I have reconsidered exactly how long I shall stay on Earth is rather obvious, most likely even to him. I am aware that Tameran, or specifically Karras will not like my decision, but I truly only care what Richard and my friends think on the matter. I only married Karras to put Tameran at peace and now that it is, I feel I have done what I was obligated to do and have no further reason to remain there.

He smiles lightly down at me and brushes a stray hair behind my ear. "I sure hope so." Did I mention how much I love him? He leans down slowly and kisses my forehead before standing, much to my disappointment, and helps me to my feet. As I feel his hand release mine I find myself feeling slightly upset. Maybe this shall be harder than I originally anticipated.

Richard picks up his discarded cowl and puts it on, once again becoming Batman. He then walks over to the tower's edge, me curiously following behind him. I hear him chuckle as he looks down and I follow his eyes to the ground to find many vehicles sitting in the front of the tower. "I guess everyone felt the need to spend the night," he says with a smirk.

I laugh as well, knowing the only reason anyone is here is because they are curious to what happened with us and I am fully aware that the moment we walk into the common room we will be questioned quite extensively. I can already here the boys teasing Richard, and I must admit I am curious to hear how he responds. "I suppose we should not keep them waiting."

"Yeah, I guess you're right." He holds his hand out to me and I put my hands behind my back and grin up at him.

"I do not remember Robin ever holding my hand," I tease. I do enjoy this game. We used to play it all the time. He would become most frustrated with me and it was cute to see him do the pouting.

He frowns at me before picking me up in one swift motion and slinging me over his shoulder, me squealing and giggling the entire time. I love Richard at all times, but when he is being playful I find him most fun. He begins to carry my dangling body toward the door and then down the stairs, me still laughing. When we reach the door of the common room he sits me down, knowing if we walked in like that, the teasing would have no end.

We step forward side by side, the door automatically swishing open and we step through, finding everyone in the middle of the breaking of fast. They all look up from their plates, most grinning at us. "Walk of shame!" Wally calls from his place between Tim and Jinx.

"So, did you guys bang?," Bee asks loudly.

Richard's mouth falls open and I flush in embarrassment, burying my face in my hands. She has always been most forward, but I was not prepared to be asked that, at least not with everyone looking at us. "No, we did not do the banging! We talked and did the sleeping together... I mean sleeping beside each other," I quickly correct myself before everyone does the overreacting. I remember the first night Robin and I slept in the same bed. We had fallen asleep during a movie we were watching in his room. The next day I told Raven we slept together and the microwave did the blowing up. I did not realize the term "sleeping together" was a synonym for having sex.

"Riiight," she replies, raising an eyebrow and appearing very amused by the situation. "We heard you squealing from down here." This caused everyone to laugh and both me and Richard to frown, me still blushing. I can see how they would have done the assuming.

"I was tickling her," he blandly retorts.

Wally laughs and leans back in his chair, putting both his hands behind his head. "So, that's what the kids are calling it these days." He turns to Tim. "Hey Red Robin, you tickle anyone lately?"

Everyone laughs again, even Raven is smirking. So much for this being a room full of adults. "Yeah, a new girl every night. I guess it runs in the family. What about you Static?"

The person knows as Static opens his mouth to say something, but catches sight of Richard's glare and quickly shuts it. People have a certain fear of Batman. Richard is a large man for an Earthling and the cowl only makes him look more fearsome. "Enough," Richard orders. "Flash, I feel the need to remind you I know where you live." He turns to look at Tim. "And I'll just kick your ass."

This is where Vic steps in. "Alright everyone, calm your tits and let the happy couple come eat." Richard grunts something and I just continue to blush and follow behind him over to the nearly full table and take a seat beside Donna, while Richard sits on the other side of me. Vic brings us each a plate with eggs, toast, and bacon and then continues to tease us by bringing us a glass of the sprite with two straws in it. I knew we were going to be teased, but I did not realize it would be to this extent. I really believe everyone is just happy we are talking again.

Richard seems to have no issue sharing the sprite with me, so I follow along, not minding in the least. Our heads bumped one time during the breaking of fast, as we tried to take a drink at the same time, causing everyone to make an 'awwww' sound. I am actually starting to find this amusing, Richard however is a different story. I noticed he does not smile very much... or at all really. The only time I have seen him smile was when we were alone on the roof. I am not sure what has happened to him in the last five years, but he seems to be... darker in a way, but that is not surprising to me.

I used to be the only who could get him out of his office or the gym, where he would spend hours. All I would have to do is walk in and ask him to do something with me and most of the time he would without hesitation. I guess without me he has become a much more secluded version of himself, but I shall not do the standing for it. He must enjoy life and remember how to have fun. "Richard?," I say, sense only Donna and Wally are next to us. In fact, I am pretty certain everyone here besides this Static person is aware who Batman is, so I feel no need to address him formally. It is still odd to me. When I think of Batman, I can only do the picturing of Bruce, but I'm sure I will adjust.

He looks over with me from where he is talking with Wally. "Yeah, Star?"

"I am wondering if you wish to do the hanging out with me today?, Perhaps the park or the boardwalk?" I question, smiling sweetly up at him.

He smiles before it quickly falls from his face. "I'd love to, but I can't." My smile falls as well, but then he clarifies why. "When I was Robin or Nightwing, it wasn't a huge deal if I was seen out in public in the middle of the day, but with Batman it's different. If Batman is seen walking around the park, it would be the lead story on the six o'clock news."

I beam a smile up at him, now understanding. "Oh no, I do not mean as Batman and Starfire. I still have my hologram ring in my possessions at Raven and Gar's house. I believe it is acceptable for Kori to be seen with you, yes?"

He chuckles. "Yeah, that would be okay. After you left I didn't get out much and of course you weren't around so people assumed our break up was really bad. We actually made a few magazine covers."

I frown at this. Our break up was indeed bad, but that is our business. I do not like the fact that it was broadcasted to the world, but that is just the way things are when you are the public figures as Richard says. Shaking it off, I turn my attention back to him. "So we may go?"

He nods. "If you want."

I clap my hands together, my beaming smile returning. "Glorious!" I am truly excited for this. I can never get enough of the alone time with Richard. Despite all the years we spent together, I never lost the thrill of being around him... Obviously it was not the same for him, but I am attempting to leave the past in the past. As Richard said, we both have our regrets, but we cannot change what happened, however we do control the future and I want my future to be with him, so I must not let the past interfere, but at the same time I have to learn from it, we both do.

Sunday, June 15th 11:00 PM - Raven and Gar's house

Starfire's POV

Raven, Donna, Bee, and I sit in the living room of Raven's house. The rest of the girls are enjoying the tower's pool of swimming along with a few of the guys, while Vic, Gar, Wally, and Tim were having a discussion with Richard in the common room when we left. I had to return to Raven's in order to retrieve my hologram ring, and the girls decided to join me so that we could do the girl talk before Richard and I did the hanging out this afternoon.

"So," Bee begins, a grin on her face. "What really happened last night?"

"It was as I said. We talked until we fell asleep," I restate.

"Are you guys back together?," Donna question from her place on the couch beside me.

That is truthfully a good question and I am not overly sure how to answer it. "We... we have agreed to be friends, but it is my understanding that both of us have an interest in being more. So, I suppose we are doing the working on things and taking things slow."

"Why did you guys even break up to begin with?," Bee asks. "Dick was never to clear on what happened between you two."

I sigh, not really wanting to recount the details, but I suppose I should tell them. Raven is the only one who I have told the whole story to. "We grew apart, or rather he thought so. I am not saying it is entirely his fault, we both did things that we should not have. He became very absorbed in his work and I spent a lot of time away for the modeling. We had no issues with money, so we should not have let those things become priorities over each other. None of it should have ever happened."

I feel Donna place her hand on my shoulder, sensing I am distressed "Do you love him?"

I look over at Raven, who is sitting on the opposite side of me. She is the only one who truly knows just how deeply I do love him. She has told me many times that it is stronger than anything she has ever felt. I often think about asking her if she can tell if Richard loves me as well, but I do not wish for this to start that way. I would like to do this by ourselves, just like we did in the beginning. She gives me a light smile and nods and I nod back. "Yes, I shall love him today, tomorrow, and ever day until the end of my life and then longer. Tameranian love is not like human's. We are monogamous, meaning we spend are entire lives with one mate. Once we fall in love, there is no falling out."

"So, you're saying your love is eternal?," Bee asks with wide-eyes. "Man, that must be a lot to deal with."

"Yes, it is very stressful. Most Tameranians do not mate outside of our race for this reason, but Robin stole my heart and Richard shall never be able to give it back." To be honest, there are times that I wish I could forget Richard... at least there were until last night. I have been restored with hope and it's difficult to not become the carried away.

"They say true love can overcome all obstacles, and I'm pretty sure he loves you," Donna says with a comforting smile. "Ask anyone, when you left he was a wreck for years and really isn't much better now. Only Wally and Babs know all the details, but it just wasn't pretty. I see him at the Watch Tower a couple of times a week, but other than that, he just kind of disappears."

I truly do not like that Richard is not happy, rather he is with me or not. I know him better than anyone besides Raven and it only took one look at him at the breaking of fast this morning to know he was deeply troubled. He is my life and I wish to see him smile, smile like he used to when we were together. If me trying to make him happy again results in us becoming the couple once more, then all the better. I love him and I do hope he loves me, but if he does not, if he cannot, then I still wish to bring happiness into his life, no matter how broken I am.

Sunday, June 15th 12:00 PM - Common Room

Richard's POV

"So, did you two do it?," Wally questions me, wiggling his eyebrows as he does and I just frown in response. Seeing I have no intention of answering him, he just continues. "Oh, c'mon man, it's just us. Give us the details."

"We talked then went to sleep," I droned, my tone resembling Raven's as I wipe the non-present dust off my civilian shirt. I have to admit, I really did try to look nice for this "friend date" as Wally keeps calling it. I'm not wearing anything fancy of course, just a black V-neck and some greyish jeans. She always liked when I dressed casually in the past because it meant she didn't have to spend hours on her hair. One of my favorite Starfire quotes is from one night when we were going to dinner at some fancy restaurant in Bludhaven.

She walked out of our bathroom is a stunning green dress and found me laying on the bed in some blue jeans and a red polo. She frowned at me before walking back into the bathroom. When I asked her what she was doing she stated, "if you can look like the crap then so shall I."

"Are you guys at least back together?," Tim asks, sounding almost worried about it.

I look over at him and sigh. "It's complicated. We're... working on things... I guess." I shake my head. "I don't know what's going on and neither does she. We're friends, that's all I know."

"By the way she was screaming this morning I think you mean friends with benefits," Wally teases, only to be ignored. Star's not the kind of girl to just sleep with a guy without being wooed, even if that guy is me. I wouldn't want that from her anyway. It would only complicate things even further and if we're going to do this, whatever this is, I want to do it right. It kind of pisses me off that everyone assumes we slept together, but I can see why that would be the assumption.

Vic continues the questioning, his face serious. "Do you love her... No, are you in love with her?" He is aware of what I said to her before she left, so it's wise that he phrased the question that way. The word "love" can mean many things, there are many different types of love after all. I love Vic, Wally, Gar, Raven, Donna, Tim, Damian, Helina, Babs, and even Jason, but it's different then the way I loved my biological parents or the way I love Bruce, Selina, and Alfred. There is no grey area with "in love." It means only one thing. Do you romantically love her? A straight forward question with no wiggle room.

Am I in love with her? It feels pointless to even ask myself that question anymore. Last night when I saw her standing there, looking like an innocent-faced Goddess, my heart literally stopped beating. I've heard people say you know you're in love if your heart skips a beat, but it stopping completely? That's a new one. "Yes." The fact is, I'm not falling in love with her again because I don't think I ever really fell out. I believe what happened was we just went through a rough patch and for a couple who never even argued, it was a hard thing for us.

I see slow smiles spread across everyone's face, but then Gar of all people turns serious. He pokes me in my chest, a glare in his eye. "If you hurt her this time, we're all gonna kick your ass. Got it?"

I smile lightly and nod. "I wouldn't expect anything less." Just then the elevator dings and the girls walk in, Kori leading them, her ring now on her finger. When she sees me she smiles and I smile back without any control over it. She's the only thing that has ever been able to make me smile with just a look. I really don't know how she does it. I think it's her face. She's is just one of those people with a naturally innocent face that melts your heart, but that may be just a reflection of my own feelings toward her.

"Greetings, friends," she exclaims with a beaming smile. I'm really not to sure how high I am on being called a friend by her, but she's right when she say entering relationship right now would be a bad idea. We need to take this slow, maybe not wait two years this time, but definitely not right away. Her eyes focus on me and her smile becomes a little wider. "Are you ready to do the hanging out with me, Richard?"

Before I can say anything, Wally hops into my lap from the sace on the couch beside me and wraps his arm around my neck. "Sorry Star, I think you're just going to have to face the fact that we're meant for each other." He then plants a wet kiss on my cheek. Only Wally has the confidence to do this kind of shit.

She covers her mouth as she giggles in the cutest way before trying to put on a serious face. "Richard, I'm afraid I must ask you to chose. It is either me or him."

I smirk at her playfulness. "Easy." In one powerful thrust I push Wally into the floor before standing to my feet and extending my hand out to her. "I'm ready to go when you are."

She takes my hand, blushing slightly as she does. I don't know how she feels about me, but I think there is at least a possibility she still loves me on some level, or she could again... I hope. "We may go now."

I nod, smiling slightly as we both head toward the elevator hand in hand. I'm sure Tim want mind if I "borrow" his motorcycle.

Sunday, June 15th 4:00 PM - Boardwalk

3rd person POV

Richard and Kori sat on a bench on the boardwalk, both tired from the park. Kori absolutely insisted that they feed the ducks and Richard quickly found that he still lacked the ability to say no to her. They then found themselves going for a joy ride on Tim's motorcycle, cruising all over the city. Kori discovered that her blush was far more visible on her less orange skin and having her arms wrapped around Richard to hold on was not helping her hide it in the least.

Eventually the two decided to head over to the board walk to enjoy the rides, but a quick break was in order first. Kori looked over at Richard, finding a light smile on his face as he looked out into the water. It certainly seemed like he had enjoyed the day as much as she had. This really had been the best day she had experienced in the last five years. She found herself falling even deeper in love with him, if that were even possible. He was acting just like he did when they were dating. Still no kissing or touching that would be anything more than friends would do, but he was smiling and that made her smile.

Richard was indeed having a fantastic time. He had smiled more in the last twenty-four hours then he had in the last five years. Starfire just had that effect on him. She was so cute when she was feeding the ducks and he had to admit that her hands around his torso made him feel a little... frisky. Her touch was like a drug to him and he was craving more, but he restrained himself in favor of doing this the right way. Plus he was pretty sure that he would be heading back to Gotham with a black eye if he kissed her, and rightfully so.

That was one thing that was troubling him though. He would be leaving for Gotham at least by tomorrow morning. What was he going to about her? Could he just leave her here after already being away from her for so long? Would she possibly agree to come with him? His house was more than big enough for the both of them. They would have plenty of their own space and wouldn't over crowd each other, which at this point she could cling to him twenty-four/seven for the rest of his life and he wouldn't feel over crowded. It was definitely a problem that needed to be figured out quickly. He sighed and ran his hands through his hair, an action that didn't go unnoticed by her.

She reached over and laid her hand on top of his, a concerned expression on her face. "Richard, are you the okay? Are you not enjoying the day with me?"

Her worried tone caused him to react quickly, moving his hand to hold hers, their finger intertwining. "Of course, I'm having a blast. I'm guess I'm just a little tired." He looked over at a nearby ice cream stand before turning back to her. "How about we get us some ice cream?"

She beamed a smile and nodded enthusiastically, almost like a child would. A thirty year old woman with child like enthusiasm? Just one more thing he loved about her. He stood from the bench, pulling her up with him as they did. They walked over to the ice cream stand hand in hand, something that both were enjoying. "Hi, can we get one chocolate for me and a strawberry with sprinkles for my friend here?"

The man nodded and began to prepare there cones, while Kori stared at Richard in amazement. "You remember my favorite ice cream flavor?," she asked, her face clearly showing that she was surprised. How could he possibly remember such a small detail as that after so many years?

He smiled and nodded at her. "Of course, I remember everything about you."

She blushed and leaned into him, loving the fact he remembered such insignificant things. They were handed their ice cream cones and Richard handed the man a five dollar bill, not waiting for the change before walking off, Kori still leaning into him and she licked her ice cream. "Thank you for purchasing this for me. I would have myself, but I have no American currency."

He frowned down at her. She used to never thank him for buying things for her because he made it clear that she didn't have to. He liked spoiling her, and an ice cream cone was wouldn't even register compared to the items he used to buy for her. She would occasionally complain, but he would shut her up with kiss, not that he had that option right now. "Star, you don't..."

"Yes, I know. I do not have to thank you for doing such things for me. I did not know if that still applied," she explained.

He continued to frown. "Of course it does. It always will."

She smiled and released his hand, leaning further into him, signaling she wanted him to wrap his arm around her waist, which he did without any hesitation. "So, please tell me what you have been doing these last five years. Do you still work as a police?"

Richard chuckled a little nervously, not really wanting to get into how messed up his life had been since she had been gone. He didn't want to scare her away with making her think he was to broken to be fixed, which he very well might be, but he certainly felt light years better with her back. "Uhhh no, I kind of quit police work a few years ago." Or pretty much anything that involved him going out in public. Nightwing could do more than the police anyway. "I actually am in charge of the applied sciences division of Wayne Enterprises. Bruce thought it would be good for me."

"Oh?," she questioned, sounding surprised. "I thought you said you would never work at Wayne Enterprises." He had said that, multiple times actually. He never had any interest in taking over the company and Bruce never asked, but during Richard's period when he was actively trying to get himself killed, Babs finally tattled on him to Bruce and Richard was surprised how Bruce reacted. It was very... fatherly. They had become much closer over the years and Richard actually referred to him as dad when speaking to him directly.

"Things change," he answered simply.

Kori frowned at that. Things certainly did change. One second you're in a perfect relationship, full of love and the next the man you love barely speaks to you, but that was the past and she had to let that go. No, matter how difficult that was. She knew what went wrong in the past, they both did, so maybe they wouldn't make the same mistakes twice. She believed that X'hal had given them this opportunity for a reason and she didn't intend to mess it up. Her focus shifted to the sight of a roller coaster not to far away. She looked up at Richard and grinned. "Please?" She knew she didn't have to clarify. They knew each other far to well for that to be necessary.

He smirked down at her. "You going to puke on me this time?"

She became playful. "Possibly, but I promise it shall be less abundant this time."

He laughed. He actually laughed for the first time he could even remember. It had been so long that the echo of it sounded foreign to his own ears. Kori beamed a smile, ecstatic that she got such a reaction out of him. It made her feel glorious, especially with vaguely knowing how hard things had been for him.

"Well, when you put it that way..." he trailed off with a grin.

Sunday, June fifteenth 7:00 PM - Boardwalk

Starfire's POV

Richard and I sit on the ferris wheel, watching the sunset, both of us vomit free. I am certain he is very thankful of that. Our hands are still interlocked as they have been for the majority of the day and I find myself curled into his side, holding the stuffed panda he won me in my lap. I shall treasure it as I do my other stuffed bear. I have truly had a glorious day, the best day I can remember having in so long.

I know we are only friends, but I feel that spark that they talk of in the movies and I am certain if I were to kiss him right now that I would feel the fireworks. The flies of butter in my stomach begin to flutter their wings every time he looks at me and I find myself feeling suddenly warm. I truly feel like we are just meeting, which in a sense, we are. He and I both are different people then we were then, he more so then myself. There are things that have happened that neither of us are aware of and there are many stories to be told. Truly the only difference between fifteen years ago and now is we are older and Richard is not scared to touch me, which is most glorious. I do not wish to wait two years this time.

I am still uncertain, not of my feelings for him, but where this is going. I wish to know how he feels, but I understand it is far to early to voice such things. I just wish I could skip the friendship part and move straight to the kissing and the cuddling, but this is necessary. I may not enjoy thinking logically, but I have to at times. I want this to work, and there are going to be many obstacles we shall have to overcome, but I am prepared for that. Earth has a saying that states anything worth having is worth fighting for and I suppose that is true. I am willing to fight for this, for us. I just have to pray to X'hal that it does not end like last time... or end at all. That would be nice.

I hear Richard sigh and see him bow his head out of the corner of my eye. I instantly become worried and arch my head so that I may see his face. "Are you the okay?" I am somewhat worried he is not enjoying himself as much as I am. I wish to make him happy, to excite him, not do the boring of him. Our relationship becoming boring is one reason he did the breaking up with me last time.

He looks up at me and I can see his face is somber. "You know I have to leave in the morning, right?"

Now it is my turn to sigh and bow my head. "Yes... I do not wish for you to go. I shall miss you very much," I say rather boldly, not caring about being to forward anymore.

He pauses for a moment, his thumb stroking my the back of my hand. "You know... I was thinking, Silkie misses his momma and... so do I... a lot" He pauses once more, and I remain silent, not wanting to do the assuming, but I do hope I am correct in where I think he is doing the going with this. "Maybe, you could come back to Gotham with me? If we're really going to try this... whatever this is, then wouldn't it be better if we were around each other? I can't leave Gotham often, especially to fly across the country and then there's the time zones and I'm pretty busy most of the time. I mean, my house would be big enough for the both of us, but if you don't want to live with me, then I can buy you your own house and a vehicle, no problem. I just want..."

"Yes," I interject him, beaming a nearly teary eyed smile. I truly was hoping he would ask me. He is correct. We would never get to see each other and almost never speak when he left. "I would love to move in with you. I am sure my bumgorf wishes to see his momma everyday and I wish to be close to you."

He smiles and suddenly I feel myself being wrapped in a hug. I hug him back with no hesitation, holding on tightly. "strawberries," he whispers into my ear. "You still smell like strawberries."

I just close my eyes and sigh happily, melting into him completely. This is the start of something glorious. I feel this.

Monday, January 16th 2:00 AM - Titan's Tower

3rd person POV

After spending another hour on the boardwalk, Kori and Richard went to a late showing of one of Starfire's romance movies, cuddled up a little closer than friends should be, but both were excited that they would be living together again. It was so new, yet at the same time so familiar. upon leaving the movie they went to a late night diner, seeing who could eat the most pancakes. Kori and her nine stomachs won of course.

After that they took a moonlight, bare-footed walk on the beach hand in hand, listening to the waves crash against the shore as they watch the moonlight lit water shimmer. That somehow escalated into him chasing her into the water, but a shark fin surfacing above the surface and far to close to them ended that, Kori running out of the water screaming something about 'the shark of great whiteness.' Richard could only assume she meant great white shark, but with Starfire you never really know. Now they found themselves coming up the elevator, both laughing ridiculously at an idiom Starfire had messed, very badly at that.

Specifically it had begun to drizzle very briefly and Starfire had asked him if it were going to rain the felines and canines, meaning cats and dogs of course. Starfire loved rain as long as it didn't thunder. Thunder scared her... badly. When the elevator dinged open they found that the Titans were all sitting on the couch with knowing smirks. It wasn't everyone, just their close friends. Wally, Jinx, Donna, Vic, Bee, Raven, Gar, Vic, Tim, Helina, and a sleeping Damian, who had passed out laying across Wally, Jinx, and Donna's laps.

Wally, somehow always having energy even at this hour, was the first to speak. "So, how was the friend date?," he asked, making air quotes when he said friends.

Starfire and Richard traded glances, Starfire being the one to reply. "I am moving in with him."

"Ha!," Gar exclaimed. "Who called it?"

Everyone raised their hand.

**Next chapter: The Titans wake up to find an interesting story in the morning paper, Starfire returns to Gotham with Richard, and the adjustment period begins. Just imagine living with your ex. That would be terrible, but they still love each other so we'll see how that goes. Also, does anyone want shorter chapters or are we good with this? I shall not do the updating until I receive my desired number of reviews!**


	5. Adjustment

Chapter Five - Adjustment

**The Citidel is mentioned in this chapter. If you don't know what happened to Starfire during her time there then look it up. It's really bad and I don't want to go into detail on it. It's graphic stuff. Also, I'm on what my parents considering a vacation, so it may be harder to update, but I'll get it done.**

**OmegaTheLegend - That's my goal. I want the reader to feel something. Happiness, anger, heartbreak, just whatever the characters feel.**

**Miss Daenerys - I'm thing twenty and up, but I'm not sure yet.**

**Minor character agaes (Not completely sure if some of these characters will even appear. Just for reference)**

**Virgil Hawkins/Static 17**

**Connor Kent/Superboy 17**

**Kara Zor-El/Supergirl 18**

**Donna Troy/Wonder Woman 29**

**Roy Harper/Arsenal 30**

**Jason Todd/Red Hood 28**

**Alfred Pennyworth/retired butler 75**

**Hal Jordan/Green Lantern 45**

* * *

Monday, June 16th 9:00 AM - Titan's Tower

3rd Person POV

Richard laid in the floor of his old room at the tower. Why was he in the floor? Starfire had came into his room about five that morning saying she had a nightmare and just wanted to be close to him. She insisted that sleeping on the floor would be no problem for her and that she would be "the okay", so what happened? Starfire being his kryptonite, he practically made her take the bed, leaving her to sleep peacefully, while he laid on the floor and still had yet to go fully back to sleep after there late night out. The things one does for love.

Starfire rolled over in bed and smiled down at him, her eyes half lidded. "Greetings, Richard," she said in almost a purr.

"Morning Star, sleep well?" he replied, rolling on his side to face the bed.

"Yes, quite well after I came in here." She often had terrible dreams about her encounter with Citadel, the horrors that they inflicted on her replaying themselves in her head, but for some reason when she was around Richard she didn't have those nightmares. She just felt safe with him, knowing rather he was in love with her or not, he would never let anything or anyone harm her.

"Well, that makes one of us," he said jokingly as he stood to his feet. As he turned away from her and stretched, Starfire took a peek at his boxer covered butt. It was always her favorite part of his body. Probably not the most obvious area, most women preferring the six-pack, but what could she do? She liked what she liked. Being called wierd didn't phase her anymore. She had experienced plenty of that during her fifteen years on Earth.

She quickly flicked her eyes to his face as he turned around. You're not supposed to stare at your friends ass... unless there not looking. She attempted to act serious, but her cheeky grin betrayed her. "I told you to sleep on the bed and I would be fine on the floor, but no, someone was Mr. know it all."

He raised an eyebrow at her, that all to familiar gleam in his eyes. "Are those fighting words?"

"Richard," she warned, pointing at him, instructing him to stay in place as she quickly stood up on the bed. He took a step forward, smirking as he did. Starfire hurriedly reached for the pillow she had slept on, holding it like someone would a weapon. "If you attempt to do this, I shall be forced to take drastic actions."

Richard continued to smirk and took another step forward. "You're going to attack me with a pillow."

Starfire smiled mischievously. "Oh, no. You tought me much better then that. The pillow is only the distraction." She tossed the pillow at him, which he caught on instinct, but in doing so it blocked his frame of vision. Starfire leaped from to bed, and using her flight slightly, tackled him like missile hitting it's target, managing to knock him to the ground in the process. She quickly mounted him and pinned his arm behind his head, much like he had done to her the day before. "Do the giving up," she demanded.

"Batman give up? Not a chance." He tried to roll, but he found that is was impossible. That's what you get when your ex-girlfriend is as strong as Superman.

She smirked down at him as he struggled under her. He wasn't get out of this. "I believe this is the pointless. I shall not release until you do the giving up and say 'Starfire is the most beautiful girl on Earth.' She batted her eyelashes down at him for emphasis.

He laughed. "I heard of fishing for compliments, but no one has ever pinned me to the ground to get one." His smile fell slightly when he became aware of something he hadn't previously noticed. Starfire never had been a fan of clothes, but now she was only wearing a purple thong and crop top. His eyes slightly widened and he instinctively began to stare, which Starfire noticed and grinned.

She felt something poke her from below where she sat and her grin only became more mischievous. "I believe you are doing the enjoying of this."

He rolled his eyes and looked up at ceiling, making sure to not look at her in an attempt to calm himself. "Pshh, I don't know what you're talking about."

She herself was becoming aroused by the situation. Richard had always been the more dominant one of the two, an Alpha by personality, but it was interesting to change the roles around. Starfire leaned down slightly, so that she could meet his eyes. "A certain part of your body knows exactly what I am talking about," she whispered, her tone almost seductive. Starfire had now accomplished the impossible, she had successfully made the mighty Batman blush. Who said friends couldn't flirt?

Just then the doors swished open and Wally bounded into the room, a news paper in his hand and a wide grin on his face. "Dick, you aren't going to..." He paused when he looked up from the paper and found his best friend being pinned to the ground by a half-naked Starfire. "Oh, c'mon guys, couldn't you have waited until you got back to Gotham!," Wally exclaimed, purposefully loud enough so everyone in the Tower could hear him.

"What are they doing?," came Bee's voice from somewhere down the hall.

"There banging!," Wally called back.

"Ha! Vic, you owe me a hundred dollars," she exclaimed.

"Damn it!." Something could be heard about horny aliens and Batman not be able to keep his pants up.

"We were not doing the banging!," Starfire called. "We were doing the wrestling."

Wally raised an amused eyebrow. "Riiight. First it was tickling and now it's wrestling. What's next? We were just giving each other massages? Or I was only on my knees to tie his shoes for him?"

Starfire blushed bright red, while Richard just frowned at Wally. "What did you come in here for?," he asked blandly.

Wally turned his attention back to the paper in his hand. "Oh, right!" He then looked back over at them. "I'll just read it to you when you're both... less naked." He walked out of the room, headed for the common room, but poked his head back in a second later. "Oh, and nice legs Star."

"Wally!," came Jinx's voce, not sounding to happy.

He glanced down the hall and frowned. "Welp, got to go before I get my ass kicked." With that he vanished with a gust of wind following him.

Richard and Starfire turned back to each other, both bewildered by what just happened. "I suppose we should join our friends in the common room before they assume we are doing the banging again."

Richard then smirked. "That's means you're going to have to move without me giving up."

She leaned down, nearly laying flatly on top of him, her lips touching his ear as she whispered. "I shall have plenty of time to make you submit to me in Gotham." She leaned back up and giggled at his stunned expression before floating off of him. Grabbing a pair of his pajama pants, she floated toward the bathroom door, winking at him before heading in.

He looked up at ceiling, his eyes still wide. "Wow," was all he could say.

Monday, June 15th 9:30 PM - Tower

3rd person POV

Starfire and Richard walked into the common room side by side. The remaining Titans looked up from whatever individual task they were doing and turned their attention to the two. "Well, looks like the love birds decided to join us," teased Bee.

Richard ignored her and looked over at Robin, who was the only one who seemed to be in uniform and was playing video games on the couch with Gar. "We're leaving in two hours. You need to get your things ready."

Robin waved his hand dismissively, not turning his attention from the video game. "Yeah, yeah."

Tim chimed in from his place beside Static, who's name turned out to be Virgil. "You guys are finally leaving? Thank God! People actually live here you know. You were only supposed to be here for like three hours saturday night. Guess what? It's Monday morning!"

Cyborg snickered at the kid. He was a lot like Richard was at that age. "Calm your tits, we'll be out of here in a couple hours. Next year we're all going to stay a whole week though," he teased.

Bee jumped onto Cyborg's back and wrapped her arms around his neck, oblivious to her frowning husband standing off to the side. "That's right! We were Titan's first, so we got dibs whenever we call them!"

Starfire paid close attention to the scene in front of her. She had noticed over the last couple of days that Vic and Bee had spent alot of time around each other, in fact it was almost constant. She wondered if this could perhaps be a possible rekindling of more than just her and Richard's relationship, but there's as well. No, they were each married, but did that really matter? They say true love can overcome all obstacles and they did appear to be very affectionate toward each other. She had always thought that they were perfect for each, and maybe she was right after all.

Starfire's attention was brought off of them when Wally abruptly stood from the couch. "Everyone please give me your attention! No one is going anywhere until I read today's front page story." He cleared his throat and turned toward Starfire and Richard. "In the afternoon hours of Sunday, June fifteenth, Gotham's Playboy, Dick Grayson, who is reportedly in town on business, was spotted with his ex-girlfriend and former model, Kori Anders, on the city's boardwalk."

Wally wiggled his eyebrow at them before continuing. "Multiple sources say that the two were very affection toward each other, spending most of the day holding hands and being very touchy. It was widely reported that the couple separated five years ago, both falling out of the media spot light after. Could they have possibly found there way back together? Has the prince of Gotham had his heart stolen once again by his former flame? Who is to know, but one thing is for sure. They're are definitely still sparks between the duo."

Starfire and Richard traded glances, neither overly surprised by the fact that they made the paper. Both almost expected it really. "You are not upset that people believe we are together, are you?," Starfire asked, knowing how much Richard liked his privacy.

He smiled, shaking his head as he took her hand in his own, not caring that the majority of the room was watching or about the chorus of 'awwws' that followed. "Let them say and think what they want. Rumors are really going to start spreading when you move in. We'll just ignore them and worry about us."

She smiled lovingly up at him, more specifically at his use of the word "us." They had been separated for over five years, closer to six really, so it made her heart soar to hear such a word. It really was amazing just how much two letters placed beside each other could mean. She rested the back of hear head on his chest and sighed happily, more then then ready to start the new chapter of her... No, their life, hopefully that would be spent together.

Monday, June 16th 11:00 PM (Eastern time zone) - Wayne private airport

Richard's POV

As our private jet prepares to land, I glance over at Starfire... well, Kori, who has fallen asleep on my shoulder with Damian snuggled into her opposite side, her arms wrapped around him. I can't help but to smile as I watch her chest move up and down and listen to her soft snores. To this day she claims she doesn't snore, but there's no point in arguing with her about it. She'll win of course. Starfire doesn't use logic when she argues, therefore making her unbeatable. God, she is just so beautiful, and amazing, and perfect, and unique... Just everything I could possibly want in a woman. She's got it all.

It really is amazing how life works. Just a few days ago I was standing on the edge of the tallest building in Gotham, giving serious consideration to jumping, just ending all the emptiness, but now I wouldn't even consider doing such thing because it would mean missing time I could be spending with this incredible, slightly insane woman beside me. For the first time in years, I can see a light shinning in the this blackness that I have lost myself in and it's all because of her. She really is my own personal angel.

The vibration of the jet hitting the ground stirs her awake and she blinks her eyes open barely. "Are we here?"

I lean down and kiss her forehead. "Yeah, we're here."

She groans and buries her face into my side. "Let us sleep on the plane."

I chuckle and wrap my arms around her shoulders. "I think a bed might help you sleep a little better."

"I am sleeping fine," she mumbles. I hear the door to the jet open and I sigh, knowing I have a problem on my hands. I stand up and Kori's body falls limp onto the couch of the jet, Damian falling to her side. I decide to first go ahead and carry our luggage out to my black Charger before I worry about getting those two out. Waking up Starfire is like wearing a suit made of meat and walking into a lion's den. You're just asking for it.

After putting our things away in the trunck of my car, I head back to the jet and gently lift Starfire bridal style, careful not to wake her, before slapping Damian in the back of the head to wake him up. I love him, but not enough to carry him a hundred yards. "Oww! What's wrong with you? You're a superhero, how is child abuse okay?," he exclaims, rubbing to back of his head.

I roll my eyes. "Let's go, we're in Gotham."

He just grumbles something and rolls off the couch and we make our way out to my car. While Damian gets in the passenger seat, I lay Starfire down in the back before getting in and driving off, ready get back to my house... our house now. After around twenty minutes, we arrive at the manor where I drop Damian off before heading home, a relatively short distance away. Getting a still sleeping Starfire out of the car, I head to my front door and type in the security code to allow us inside. Starfire's arms snake around my neck as I carry her to her new room and I feel her nuzzle into my chest and begin to purr, something I know means she's happy.

I softly lay her down in the bed and take off her purple sandals, but as I make my way to leave, I hear call my name. "Richard."

I turn back to look at her, finding her eyes barely open. "Yeah, Star?"

She beckons me back to her, making grabbing motions with her hands. "Stay with me."

I rub the back of my head, knowing that's not a good idea. I'm having enough trouble controlling my urges already. Imagining your bestfriend naked probably wouldn't pass as just being overly friendly. "Star, I have things that..."

"Please," she interjects me. "I do not wish for the mare of night to come." My reluctance disappears. Before we started dating Starfire used to wake up in the middle of the night screaming in terror. My room being next to hers, it obviously woke me up as well. I would always rush in their to comfort her, often reading her a story or watching a movie with her. It wasn't until years later that I found out she was having nightmares about the Citadel, a sick race of creatures who... I can't even think about it. It hurts me to much to know she went through that.

The nightmares just stopped after we began to share a room. She said it was because she feared nothing if I was by her side and that really made me feel great. It meant that she trusted me to always protect her and I will. I would go to hell and back for Starfire with no hesitation. I guess she started having the nightmares again after we broke up. I can't just leave her here, knowing what it will do to her. "Okay," I agree with a light smile, kicking off my shoes and throwing my pants and shirt to the side. She was straddling me when I was in my boxers just this morning so I don't think she would have a problem with it.

She wiggles over to make room and I crawl into the bed beside her. Thank God Wally isn't here because he was definitely have something to say about this. She slings one of her legs over me and places a hand on my chest before kissing me on my cheek. "Thank you," she whispers, laying her head down on my outstretched arm and almost instantly falling asleep. This is the strangest friendship I have ever had, but I am loving it and I think her purring into my ear suggests she is as well.

Tuesday, June 17th 7:00 AM - Richard and Starfire's house

3rd person POV

Starfire opened her eyes with, a loud yawn escaping her. It took her a moment to take in her surroundings, but when she did, she found that she was laying in a rather large bed in a room with grey walls, not exactly her color choice, but she was to happy to even care about that at the moment. She vaguely remembered Richard laying her in their last night, and she was aware that he had slept beside her through the duration of the night, something she was very thankful for. She felt more energetic than she had in years, which was certainly because of how well she had been sleeping, and that was all due to Richard. She simply didn't fear anything when he was by her side.

Sitting up in what she supposed was her new bed, she stretched her body and noticed that her pink bag was at her feet. Deciding that perhaps it would be best to unpack her few items before going in search or Richard and Silkie, who she couldn't wait to see, she opened her bag and took out her panda and her teddy bear before laying them down on the bed, so that she would have them during the night. The teddy bear was often the only thing she had to comfort her after a bad nightmare, so it was a must. She then took out her picture of Richard and her and placed it on the nightstand beside her bed before removing the few articles clothes that she had brought.

While she occupied herself with hanging up her clothes in the room's closet, she heard a knocking and stepped out to find Richard standing under her door frame, Silkie in his hands. "I thought you might want to see him," he said, patting the now squirming larav's head.

A delighted squeal escaped her and she flew over to Silkie, who leapt out of Richard's arms into hers, obviously still loving her. "Oh, hello little one! I have missed you so much!," she exclaimed as silkie excitedly nuzzled his face into the crook of her neck. Starfire actually found herself crying as she held him. She truly wished she could have taken him with her, but she knew Silkie couldn't breathe in space, and therefore was forced to leave him. That had hurt almost as badly as leaving Richard did. They were the two most important things in her life and to have them both back in some extent was enough to make my heart sang in joy. "Momma is home," she whispered as she rocked him back and forth. "Momma is finally home."

Richard stood silently and smiled at her use of the word "home." This was her home, it was their home.

Starfire held him up so that she could see his face and beamed a teary eyed smile at him. "I trust daddy has taken good care of you, yes?" If Silkie had shoulders and could talk, right now he would be shrugging and saying something along the lines of 'he feeds me.'

Richard smirked and walked over to sit on her bed. "Of course." Starfer eyes widened as she saw him notice the picture frame on her nightstand and was sure her face turned as red as her hair when he picked it up. "You kept this?," he asked without looking up at her, his eyes fixated on the picture, studying it's every detail.

"Oh umm, yes," she respond, looking down at her bare feet before peaking up at him, feeling very shy all of a sudden.

He ran his hands across the glass frame, a light smile across his face. "I remember this day. It was the fourth of July and you wanted to have a picnic before the firework celebration that night. We ended up laying in the grass and watching the clouds for hours." He chuckled a little and she began to relax. "You must have taken a hundred pictures that day."

Starfire hesitantly approached the bed and took a seat beside him, absently stroking Silkie's head as she did. "You must think it is foolish for me to keep such items," she said, glancing from the teddy bear behind her to the picture in his hand. She was certain he believed it was strange that she would keep these things, but they were her most cherished items. Robin won her the teddy bear on their first date and the picture just reminded her of how in love they were with each other back then. Even though she thought Richard wasn't in love with her anymore, she always knew that he once was and that was at least something that gave her comfort in her time away.

He met her shy eyes his face serious, but his own eyes soft. "I don't think it's foolish at all." He reached into his pocket and handed her his phone, leaving her to find a picture of her own self as his screen saver. She remembered this picture quite well. She was dressed in a Santa suit and was posing for the camera, her hands on her hips and a seductive gleam in her eyes. She specifically remembered she did an abundant amount of decorating that particular year. A light smile crossed her face as she reflected on Richard's joking about how he was going to have to get a second job just to pay the power bill.

"Why is this your saver of the screen?," she asked him, still looking over the picture with interest.

He sighed and glanced down for a moment. "Because that was my screen saver when you left. I thought if I changed it, it meant you were really gone and would never come back." He let out a laugh, but it sounded more sad then happy. "Every night before I went to bed, I always hoped that I was going to be woken up by a knock at the door at four in the morning and when I opened it, you were just going to be standing there and you would forgive me for everything I did, everything I said."

She stared at him, her mouth slightly open. He had truthfully been waiting for her all this time and if she had only knew she could have... No. ...She knew she must stop that. There was no point in living in the past. She was much happier then she was just a few days ago and things were beginning to brighten up for her. For them. It was time that she look toward the future and leave what happened before where it belonged, in the past. Reaching over, Starfire grabbed Richard's hand in her own, intertwining their fingers together. "I forgive you, but let us look to the future now. As you said, the past is gone and we cannot change what happened, but we do have power over what is to come."

Richard studied her quietly for a moment before a slow smile spread across his face. She was right. He was done looking at the 'what ifs' of the situation, done wondering how much longer it would be until some finally ended this hell, done standing out on roof tops at night, staring at the star he knew was Tameran's sun, and most of all he was done beating himself up for what he said, what he did. "Alright, but..." he trailed off as he took out his phone and fiddled with it a moment before holding it up in front of them, preparing to take a picture. "If we're really starting over, then I need a new screen saver, don't you think?"

Starfire beamed a huge smile and nodded enthusiastically as ever, while he laid his arm over her shoulders, causing her to scoot closer and rest the side of her head against his. Making sure Silkie is in the view of the camera, she raised him up, holding him like someone would a baby. Now everything was perfect. Richard smiled before pressing the button on his phone and a clicking sound was made, signaling that the pictures had been taken.

As Starfire look down at the picture an 'awww' sound escaped her. They looked so cute together! Like a family, like how it used to be. Just him, Silkie, and her. He laughed at her dreamy eyed expression and she just laid her head on his shoulder, allowing him to wrap his arm around her waist. She wished to progress things so badly, but was still unsure of how he felt. She was certain he still had feelings for her, after all he kept pictures of her on his phone and had been waiting for her to come back, but she had to know if he was in love with her before she could comfortably progress this further. It was truly the only thing that could mend their broken relationship.

It would be unwise to rush things and ask him. She didn't want to mess what they have right now up. They were talking, touching, living together, and it felt like they were a family again, and that was more than she could have ever dreamed of when she decided to come back. She was happy, or at least she felt like she was getting there. Truthfully she was more concerned with Richard's happiness then her own, but Donna said that she was always what made Richard happy, and Raven agreed, so maybe her goals of bringing joy to Richard's life and fixing their relationship were one in the same. Now, she had figure out how to go about accomplishing such a task.

"You know," Richard began, looking around the room. "This room isn't very... Starfirey." She giggled, but he was correct. The room was very colorless and it could use brightening up. He looked down at her and smiled. "You remember that week when you were convinced that being a home decorator was your life's calling?"

She giggled and nodded before poking her bottom lip out in a fake pout. "It was more than a week."

He smirked at her, clearly amused. "Oh, my mistake. You remember that eight days when you thought being a home decorator was your life's calling?" She laughed, while he just continued. "Anyway, I was thinking we could go to the mall and get you some things to lighten the place up a bit."

She bounded from the bed, causing Richard to be jerked up with her. "May we do the painting of the walls purple?"

He chuckled and wrapped both his arms around her lower back, holding her in a light hug that would have surely made her blush if she weren't so excited about the prospect of decorating. "We can paint it any color you want. It's your room."

"Glorious," she exclaimed, placing Silkie on the bed so that she could give him a proper hug. Her enthusiastic smile then fell. "But do you not have to work today?"

He shook his head with a reassuring smile "No, I took a few days off, so I could make sure you were going to be okay here during the day time. Cleared it with Bruce and everything." He then paused for a moment before speaking again. "Which reminds me, he asked us to come to a dinner this weekend. He actually sounded pretty happy you were back."

Starfire was surprised to hear that. Her and Bruce have never been close... at all. He preferred that Richard live the playboy life style, but Richard stood by what he wanted and remained committed to Starfire. "It does the surprising of me that he wishes to see me. I did not believe he was fond of me."

"It was never that he didn't like you, it was just he wanted the publicity and there is nothing exciting about a guy who is committed to one woman... which was really total BS because he was dating Selina the entire time." He shook his head, getting back on topic. "But anyway, I think he just wants me to be happy... I haven't been the most giddy person lately. There is really only one thing in this world... or any that makes me smile and he knows what that is."

Starfire suddenly felt short on breath as she stared into his electric blue eyes that were like lighting striking her heart. Her hands tightened around his neck and she felt herself inching closer to him. "Oh, yes? What is that?," she asked breathlessly, even though she was well aware of the answer.

His hand ran through her hair and she found that they were now chest to chest, nose to nose, her floating slightly off the ground. "You," he whispered with no hesitation. Their eyes searched each others souls for the answer to one simple question, the only one that mattered. Are you in love with me? As if an unseen force was pulling them together, they both began to slowly tilt their heads to the side and gravitate forward, their eyes becoming half-lidded in preparation. They were so close that she could feel his hot breath against her lips, sending chills down her spine.

She wanted it so bad at this point that it was ridiculous. Just when her eyes shut completely, fully ready to give him control, his phone rung, bringing them out of their lust enduced trances. Richard and Starfire both moved a step back, blushing furiously at they did. Neither was oblivious to the fact that they would more than likely have ended up having an intense make out session on the nearby bed if the phone hadn't rung. That alone could have flushed the whole "friendship thing down the proverbial toilet, so maybe it was a good thing that they hadn't. It would be bad to get serious to quickly. "Uhh, I should get that," Richard said with a cough, his usual cool under fire demeanor completely gone.

"Yes, do the getting of that," Starfire agreed with a nervous laugh.

Richard cleared his throat and answered the phone without checking the caller I.D. "Hello?,"

Donna's voice came from the other end. "Hey Dick, are you home yet?"

"Yes, why?."

"Just checking. Starfire's with you right?"

Richard glanced at Starfire who was nervously twiddling her right foot. "Yeah, we're about to go eat breakfast and then go do some shopping. You want to talk to her?"

"Please," Donna replied. She was actually fairly surprised he answered. Most of the time when she called him it would just go straight to voicemail.

Richard extended his phone out to her, already knowing he was going to have to buy her a cell phone today. As much as she liked to talk, she would be on his twenty-four/seven if he didn't. "It's Donna," he informed as she took it from him.

"Greetings!," Starfire exclaimed, regaining her cheerfulness.

"Hey Star, I just wanted to make sure you and Dick got to Gotham safely. I'll probably come down this weekend or something," Donna responded.

"That would be me most appreciated. Maybe we could..." Starfire continued to talk as Richard headed out of the room, knowing that it could take awhile. In fact, as he looked around the grey walls of his living room, knowing as soon as Starfire saw them she would insist that they be painted as well, he came to the realization that it was going to be a long day in general.

Tuesday, June 17th 6:00 PM - Richard and Starfire's house

3rd person pov

It had been a long day, just as Richard had suspected. After Starfire's hour-long conversation with Donna about only God knows what, the two finally made it to a nice little restaurant down town, where they were spotted by the paparazzi, which would no doubt fuel the rumors of there rekindlement. After breakfast they headed to the mall where Starfire, or rather Kori, found some curtains, drapes, and blankets that were to her liking, all purple of course. The shade of purple she desired for her room was almost impossible to find. Richard couldn't really tell the difference, but she insisted that there was one.

Richard ended up being correct in his assessment that she would want to paint the living room as well. She made her case for purple, but he quickly dismissed that. They ended up agreeing on a light blue color, similar to his eyes, which was the precise reason Kori chose it. After having the paint and all other supplies, they stopped off for lunch at a higher class restaurant near the Wayne enterprises building, and then came to the part he was dreading the most, the actual painting, which is what he found himself doing right now.

After spending nearly four hours painting the living room, they started on Starfire's room. He actually found himself having a good time. They listend to the radio as they worked, Starfire singing along, eventually forcing him to join her by playfully bumping into him until he did. They were nearly finished when Richard heard his doorbell ring, so he threw off his paint covered shirt and turned to Starfire. "Be right back."

She turned to him and nodded with a smile before continuing to work. Richard jogged into the living room and opened the door to find Babs standing there, a bowl of spaghetti in her hands. She smiled up at him. "Hey Dick, brought you some dinner." Babs often did this, claiming that if she didn't cook for him, he would starve to death in just weeks. Really it was just her excuse to check on him daily. She was really worried about him. After all, she saw the side of him that the only other person he let see was Wally and it wasn't pretty.

She knew how badly he was hurting, and that he would put himself in bad situations on purpose. First with the death of his parents, then having a traumatic childhood in which he had to deal with the loss of many of his friends, including his own brother... It was just so much. Those things alone would have broken any normal person, but no, not him. He could handle it. What had really broken him was the only thing that possibly could. Losing Starfire. When she left, she had taken his heart, leaving him with only pain, regret, depression, and eventually emptiness.

Babs tried to comfort him those first few months when he was a complete wreck. She was even there for him when he began to drink and became borderline suicidal, but he just wouldn't let anyone help him. Babs knew quite well that he was standing on the ledge ready to jump and the only one could save him was millions of miles away. Richard was the first man she slept with, her first love and she still loved him to a certain extent, so she refused to give up even though she knew it was a futal effort. Basically he was a ticking time bomb that she was trying to keep from blowing up, but had no idea how to stop it.

Richard leaned down and kissed her cheek. "Hey Babs, come in," he replied, stepping out of the doorway.

She raised an eyebrow at him before stepping through the door, instantly noticing the living room was blue. "You painted..." she looked up to find him smiling down at her. Something was up. Richard didn't smile. "You're smiling. Why are you smiling?"

He chuckled and shrugged, enjoying this game. "I'm not allowed to smile?"

"You're allowed to, you just don't," she retorted.

Just then Starfire, now wearing her hologram ring stepped into the living room. "Richard please, what is this swag the radio continues to speak of?," she asked, oblivious to Babs' presence.

Babs' jaw hit the floor.

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**Next Chapter: Starfire and Babs have a conversation, Kori visits Richard at work and isn't to thrilled with his secretary, Richard and Starfire celebrate, which leads to her seeing his transmissions that she never received. Review! I'm actually curious to know some things you would like to see before all hell breaks loose.**


	6. Progression

Chapter Six - Progression

**Necessary plot change made in this chapter, but nothing big.**

* * *

**Explanations**

Tuesday, June 16th 6:00 PM - Richard and Starfire's house

3rd person POV

Babs starred in an amazement at the girl in front of her. Even through the projected image of the hologram ring it was obvious who it was. Who else talked like that? "Starfire," Babs said almost breathlessly. It had been a really long time and like most people Babs believed that Starfire wasn't coming back. This certainly explained Richard's smile. Nothing had ever been able to make him smile like Starfire could.

Kori's eyes widened, recognizing the woman standing beside Richard as if she had seen her just the day before. Letting out squeal and exclamation of "Babs," Kori launched herself at the woman, tackling her with a monstrous hug.

Babs began to turn purple, her lungs screaming for relief. "Star... can't... breathe."

Kori quickly released her, leaving Babs to catch her breath. "My apologies, I just became and excited and when I do so, I forget my strength, and..."

"It's okay, Star," Babs assured. "I just... I can't believe you're here," she added obviously shocked. "Why didn't you tell me?," she asked, looking up a Richard with a glare.

He held up his hands in defense. "I just found out about it Saturday."

Starfire shifted nervously. "I suppose I was somewhat nervous about us meeting again, but.." she paused looking up at Richard with a loving smile. "Everything is the okay now."

"I can tell," Babs replied, attempting to grasp this entire situation. Starfire leaves for five years, Richard has a mental breakdown, and now that she is back everything is just fine? Logic and love certainly did not mix. "So um, you two are living together now?," she motioned between them.

They glanced at each other before nodding, Starfire with an exclamation of "yes" added in.

"And you're back together?," she continued.

This is where things got complicated. "Well um,... I..." Starfire began before pausing, unsure how to answer the question. There really didn't seem to be a right answer. It certainly wasn't a question that you could answer correctly with either yes or no. If Richard or Starfire bothered with Facebook their relationship status would be it's complicated, and rightfully so.

Richard gave the best answer he could at the moment. "We're just friends."

Kori frowned up at him, not really liking his answer even though it was the truth... partly. They were just friends, but she didn't want other girls to know that, not even Babs. Starfire had always been very possessive over Richard and for obvious reasons. For one, it was a part of her nature, encoded in her DNA, and two, Richard could be tempted, while she could not. His scent is the only males who's sexually enticed her. Therefore every other man was just... there to her. There was no attraction, while she knew Richard and all other humans found multiple people attractive, even when in a committed relationship. Just another way Tameranians were different from humans.

Babs raised an eyebrow at him. They so weren't just friends. "Right," she said in a disbelieving tone.

Richard nervously cleared his throat. "I'll go finish painting and let you two talk about... whatever girls talk about." And with that he was off, successfully avoiding the awkward situation. He wasn't afraid of possible tension between Starfire and Babs, they loved each other and Babs was a married woman. No, he just didn't want to answer anymore questions regarding the situation.

He would have to be blind to not notice the glare Kori had given him. He could just imagine her eyes glowing under that hologram ring and he didn't want to deal with that right now... or ever for that matter. But what was he supposed to say? He really didn't know the answer to that.

With Richard scurried off, Babs turned back to Kori and smirked. "You want to tell me the whole story?"

Kori agreed, seeing no reason to keep anything from Babs. The two girls made their way over to the couch and situated themselves before Kori began, deciding it best to start from the beginning. "Well, three weeks ago I made my decision to return to Earth. I had been feeling the sick for my home for a long time and I was not happy on Tameran. I informed the High Council I was leaving, which they were no happy about, but had no authority over me since I willingly took the throne. My husband pleaded with me to stay, but..."

"Wait, hold up! Husband?!," Babs interjected loudly. "Does Dick know about this?"

"Oh yes, my apologies. I should clarify better. He is only my diplomatic husband. There is no romantic relationship between us. My marriage holds no merit here on Earth, so I would be able to marry again if the situation were to arise," Kori elaborated. She really hoped the situation would arise.

Babs sighed in relief. The last thing she needed was for Richard to find out Starfire was romantically involved with not just another man, but had a husband. That would surely send him over the edge. "Oh, that's good. Continue please."

Kori nodded, internally beaming a smile, happy that Babs seemed to be in favor of her and Richard getting back together. "Well as I was saying, Karras, my husband, was not happy about my departure. I even discovered he had been hiding transmissions from Earth from me in order to keep me there," Kori said rather bitterly before shaking her head and getting back on topic. "Any the way, I did as I wished and returned to Earth. When I did the checking in at the Watch Tower, I ran into Vic, who showed me to Raven and Gar's house where I lived for two weeks. It was not until Saturday at the the reunion that Richard found that I had returned."

Kori paused for a moment and glanced down at the floor. "I truthfully was not ready to see him, but things went... very well, much better then I expected they would. I always thought he would be angry with me for leaving or worse, not care, but he did care. Much more then I would have expected. We went to the roof and talked and that is when I discovered that he had been trying to contact me and truly wanted me here. He said he regretted what happen between us, so I suggested, rather nervously, that we do the starting over. We agreed to be friends, but I believe we are more... or at least we are doing the getting there."

Babs was quite for a moment, analyzing the situation is a very Bruce like way. This could either be great for Richard or a complete disaster, depending on one key factor. "Do you love him?," She asked seriously. "Just between us. I won't tell him," she added in when Kori appeared reluctant.

Kori had no delusions about where Babs' loyalty lied. It was with Richard of course and she was okay with that, they had known each other almost ten years longer then she had known Babs, but she also knew if Babs gave her her word, then she wouldn't say anything. "I do," Kori acknowledged. "He is my beast friend, my everything, and if I had it my way he would already be my husband and we would have never dont the breaking up."

Babs continued to study her before a slow smile spread across her face. "I expect you to take care of him. You're the only one who he will let be all wifey to him. I try to make sure he doesn't starve to death," she nodded her head toward the bowl of spaghetti, now sitting on the coffee table. "I clean his house for him, try to make him be sociable, but he just want let me inside his head like he will you." Babs sighed and shook her head. "I'm sure you know this by now, but Dick hasn't been himself since you left. Maybe you could bring him back."

Babs just confirmed what everyone else had already said. He needed her. Richard had always been close to each of their core group of friends, but Babs and Wally were closer than family to him. If one of them said he needed her and thought she could help him then it absolutely had to be true. Of course Wally wasn't going to get anywhere near a serious conversation. He was allergic, but Babs was a far more of a 'tell it like it is person.' She didn't sugarcoat things often.

"I promise that I shall do my best, and I will do the taking care of him in any way that I can."

Babs smiled grateful at the alien girl. "Thank you. I already have one stubborn husband at home. It's hard to take care of two, but I think I'm leaving him in good hands."

Kori returned her smile. Babs having confidence in her made her feel a lot more self assured that she could do this. The girls talked for another hours or so, topics ranging from Babs' wedding to Kori's time on Tameran. Eventually Babs' had to go and get ready for a late dinner with her husband and Kori headed back into her room, finding Richard painting the same spot over and over again, obviously trying to look busy. When he saw her walk in he turned to her and smiled. "Hey Star, I finished."

Kori crossed her arms over her chest and 'hmph' sound before walking into the bathroom, leaving Richard to reflect on the "we're just friends" comment. He felt like he was taking a multiple choice test with no correct answers on it.

He shook his and sighed. "This is so confusing."

Things were quite for a few minutes before Starfire's voice came from behind the door. "Now, what is this swag?"

Thank God for short attention spans.

* * *

**Patrol**

Thursday, June 18th 11:00 PM - Richard and Starfire's house

Starfire's POV

Richard and I set on the couch, my head on his shoulder and his arms around my waist as we watch a movie. I am not certain if friends do this, but I do not care at this point. It has been a stressful day and I am glad to just do the relaxing. This morning Richard took me to the mall of shopping to purchase me some clothing, but upon leaving we were ambushed by the paparazzi. Richard punched one of them in the nose and did the breaking of his camera when he asked a question that was rather inappropriate, about me. Specifically if had cheated on him and if that was the reason we did the breaking up. He then proceeded to call me a very mean name, that I shall not repeat, and that is when Richard lost it.

I am happy that he would do the taking up for me, but I did not wish for things to become violent. Richard has always had a very bad temper with anyone who was not me, and it is hard to keep him calm when he becomes angry, but I managed to do so and we made our way to do the job hunting. Richard told me that it was not necessary for me to get a job, but I feel that I must earn my keep. I wish to have a sense of independence and not have to rely on Richard for money. I do like when he buys me nice things and takes me out to eat, but some things I wish to do for myself. Like purchasing my own clothing for example.

So far we have not had the luck in finding me a job. I wish to do something that I enjoy, but a job where I must travel is out of the question. I do not wish for me and Richard to grow apart again and that is one of the main causes to why we did last time. Though I was perfectly content with spending all of my time with Richard, I thought he would enjoy his space, time just to himself, after all we had been living together for years, seeing each other nearly everyday. I did not wish for him to feel constricted and become tired of me, so I thought some distance might be good for us. Looking back, it is clear to see that I was wrong.

The Earth saying 'distance makes the heart grow fonder' may be true, but to much distance does the breaking of relationships and that is what happened to ours. We barely ever saw each other and when we did, we talked about nothing that truly mattered. When were younger, we had long conversations about our future and how much we loved each other, but at that point, the only thing we talked about was work. I shall not make those mistakes twice.

I must find a Job the satisfies both my professional and personal needs, which is by no means an easy task to accomplish. Despite my doubts, Richard assured me that we will find something that I will enjoy doing and I believe him, so I shall just have to wait. Richard starts back to work tomorrow and I will surely be most board here by myself and I cannot call anyone because they have the jobs as well. I suppose I could visit Richard, and we could go to lunch. After all, as his friend I do have a duty to make sure he is not doing the over working of himself. It really is just an excuse to see him, but I am sure he will not mind.

Out of the corner of my eye I see Richard glance down at his phone then nudge me slightly, causing me to raise my head off of his shoulder. "Star."

"Yes, Richard?," I question curiously, not to enthusiastic about the reluctant look in his eyes.

"It's after eleven, I need to head to the Batcave and go on patrol," he informs me and my face falls, becoming somber. I truly have not given a thought about patrolling since I came here. Richard's focus has been mostly on me these last few day and I suppose I have became slightly spoiled by it. I truly do not wish to be left alone, especially at night.

"Oh," I utter, my eyes dropping to the floor. "Please do hurry back. It is very hard for me to sleep if you are not near and I shall worry about you."

He smiles before leaning down and kissing my forehead and I fight the strengthening urge to raise my head and take his lips in my own. I truly have thought about are almost kiss a few days ago far more then I am willing to admit. Mentally and emotionally I know that I am not ready to progress any further than simple hand holding and gentle touches, but physically I want so much more.

He is doing the flirting with me and I find myself doing the flirting back with no control over my words. I actually am finding myself becoming frustrated with the lack of physical contact. Despite me being known as innocent because I am naïve in certain aspects, I still have certain... urges and wants like every other female. It is only natural and being in love with him is not helping my situation.

"I promise I'll be back in a few hours. I'll come wake you up the second I get back, okay?"

I sigh and nod, peaking up at his eyes rather shyly. "Will you stay with me?" I am aware male and female friends do not normally share a bed, but I have a practical reason for wanting him there. The mares of night will come if he is not near me and they are... I suppose terrible is the only word I can use to describe them. What happened to me while I was with the Citidel haunts me to this day. Rape, torture, all forms of ghastly, vile things that no one should experience. Richard is my protection from those memories.

He nods, looking into my eyes. "Whenever you need me, just say the word and I'll be there." I give him a half-smile, grateful he will stay, but still not to happy I will be here alone. He gives me one more lingering look before standing and heading toward the door, leaving me to once again drop my head and sigh. "Star," I hear him call and I turn to see him standing under the doorway, looking back at me with a light smile on his face. "Want to come with me?"

My eyes widen and a huge smile crosses my face. "May I?"

"I could use your help. I've been trying to take care of both Gotham and Bludhaven, but with just me and Damian it's kind of difficult. We've always worked well together and I know you can handle yourself against anyone. I need you, Star," he says, extending out to me.

I know he is just doing this because he realizes I am upset, but I will take it! Letting out a delighted squeal, I rocket toward him, pinning him against the door as I hug him." Oh, this shall be glorious! We have not done the patrolling together is so long! Oh, I cannot wait!"

"Star... can't... breathe."

* * *

**Jealousy**

Friday, June 19th 11:30 AM - Wayne Enterprises

3rd person POV

Kori walked in through the front door of Wayne Enterprises, in search of Richard, who was unaware she was coming. It was only a twenty-minute drive from their house to the Richard's work, but it took her almost forty. Her driving skills were a little... rusty. Maybe he wouldn't notice the dent in his Lamborghini? She swore that fire hydrant came out of nowhere.

Kori approached the front desk, not knowing where else to go. "Excuse me," she began, getting the attention of the woman behind it. "May you please direct me to Richard Grayson's office?"

The front desk manager stared at the girl, clearly recognizing her, but by now everyone in Gotham did. They had been on the news quite a lot the last few days after all. "Oh um, his office is on the top floor. The elevators just down the hall and to your right."

Kori beamed a smile at the woman. "I thank you." With that she was on her way to where the woman had instructed. It took her less the two minutes to reach the elevator and no sooner than that, was she on her way up. When the door dinged open she found herself standing in a large square room, mostly devoid of people besides a few working at their desks. Everyone else was surely at lunch. On the far side of the room, she could see three offices with closed doors. One she knew was Richard's by the words 'Grayson' above it. The other two read 'Fox,' Richard's boss, and the final door had 'Wayne' above it. There was no doubt, who that one belonged to.

Kori, only being interested in her destination, paid no mind to anything else. She cheerfully made her way over to the office door and knocked. Usually she wouldn't concern herself with knocking when it came to Richard, but this was his place of work.

"Come in," she heard a female voice call and her eyes became impossibly wide, her brain already imagining the worst. He was cheating on her! Then she realized that wasn't possible because they weren't together, but it made her no less hurt or furious.

She practically slung the door open to find Richard sitting in the black leather chair behind his desk, working on the laptop in front of him, but she didn't pay the slightest bit of attention to that. No, her eyes were far to fixated on the obviously attractive blonde girl sitting on top of his desk, her legs swinging over the side. Kori instantly didn't like her. Her flirtatious smile, her hand running through her curly hair, he cleavage showing far too much through her button up white t-shirt. No, Kori didn't like her one bit.

Richard looked up from his laptop, pleasantly surprised to find Kori standing there. He stood up from his desk to greet her. "Hey Kor, what are you doing here?"

Kori crossed her arms over her chest, now glaring at him. "Who is this?," she asked, completely ignoring his question.

Richard glanced at his secretary, who was studying Kori with somewhat of a glare, before turning his attention back to the not to happy looking redhead. "This is Kimberly," he said, motioning to her. "She's my secretary."

"Why is she here?," Kimberly asked him, not taking her eyes off Kori. Kimberly was obviously aware of who Kori was, but due to her party girl life style, she didn't watch much television and therefore was unaware of the rumors of their rekindlement. Needless to say she wasn't happy to see her bosses ex-girlfriend there, especially considering she had been crushing on him for the entire six months she had worked under him.

Kori's Tameranian instincts kicked in and she actually growled, not quietly at that. It was her warning to back away from her chosen. She responded before Richard had a chance to. "I am visiting my boyfriend at work. That is why I am here."

Kimberly's jaw dropped, while Richard smirked, finding Kori being jealous very satisfying. Her referring to him as her boyfriend only added to his amusement. "Yes Kimberly, please give me a minute alone with my dear girlfriend here." Kimberly just gritted her teeth and glared at Kori as she made her way out of the office, nearly slamming the door behind her. With her gone Richard turned his attention to Kori, his smirk returning. "Boyfriend?"

"I simply meant you were a boy who I am friends with. It is not my fault that she misunderstood my meaning," Kori dismissed him, knowing that her excuse was ridiculous. Sometimes you just let things slip when you're angry.

Richard took a step forward, feeling as cocky as ever. "Riiight. You were jealous."

She looked away with a 'hmph' escaping her. "I was not the jealous. I simply did not like the way she was presenting herself to you. It was distasteful." She was so jealous.

He chuckled and leaned back against his desk. "Sure, that was all it was," he said sarcastically.

Kori quickly changed the subject before he tricked her into admitting she was indeed jealous. "Why is she your secretary? Hmm, why did chose her? You find her attractive, do you not?," she retorted in an accusing tone.

Richard was loving this. He held up his hand in defense. "I didn't hire her, that's not my responsibility."

Kori approached him and poked him in the chest. "Do not do the blaming this on anyone but yourself. You could have asked for a replacement, but you did not. You must find her enjoyable to be around."

He laughed, which she only frowned at. "I'm sorry. I didn't have a "girlfriend" at the time. Plus, she is a great secretary. What do you want me to do, transfer her?"

Kori's face turned completely serious. "Yes."

He raised eyebrow. "You're serious."

"Yes, or do you like this girl? That is it, is it not?," she asked, sounding bitter.

Richard would love to say yes just to see what her reaction would be. He would risk getting punched in the face, but he didn't want to make her cry, which would be a more likely scenario. "No Star, I don't like her. My attention has been caught by someone else," he said, running his hand down her arm to clear up any of her doubts.

Kori sighed, knowing, or at least believing he was talking about her, which pleased her greatly, but she still wasn't overly enthusiastic about the situation and really wasn't comfortable with it. She could just imagine him having to spend a late night at the office. Alone. With her. Jealousy raged within her just at that thought alone. Sighing she leaned into him, allowing him to wrap his arms around her in a warm hug. "I still do not like this."

Richard knew it was really bothering her and teasing aside, he wanted to make her happy. "If it really bothers you, I'll send in the transfer papers today, but I'm going to need a new secretary."

Kori's shut eyes shot open and she pushed back, but still gripped the fabric of his suit. "I could do it!"

Richard raised an eyebrow. "You want to be a secretary?" It wasn't the first job he pictured when he thought of Starfire, but suddenly his mind filled with dirty thoughts. He imagined Kori in a short black skirt that revealed her long tan legs and a button up white shirt with just one to many buttons undone and he realized that this could be great... Because they would get to spend more quality time together and he wouldn't have to leave her at home all day of course.

"Oh yes!," she exclaimed, releasing his shirt to clap her hands together. "I require a job and this way we would be able to spend time together. You are busy the majority of the day and we shall not get to see each other much otherwise." This seemed so perfect to her that she was literally jumping with excitement. Her enthusiastic smile suddenly fell and she became somewhat hesitant. "You would not feel crowded, would you? I do not wish to to do the bugging of you.

"No, I think it's a fantastic idea," he assured her before grinning mischievously. "Only one condition though."

She blinked twice. "Oh? What would that be?"

He leaned down so that his lips were against her ear. "I pick your uniform."

He expected her to blush or at least become nervous, but she had learned to play this game and play it well at that. She ran her hand down his torso and leaned in as if she were about to kiss him, but paused just before her lips brushed against his. "If you wish to see me naked Mr. Grayson, all you must do is ask." She leaned back to see his eyes wide and his mouth agape, his plan backfiring on him. Kori giggled, tears filling up her eyes. She was going to have do this more.

* * *

**Game**

Tuesday, June 23d 2:00 PM - Wayne Enterprises

3rd person POV

A game. That's what it became to them. Teasing each other with seductive comments, arousing the other with a lingering touch or look, trying to coax them to make the first move. Richard would "accidentally" brush his hand across certain areas at night, while Kori made sure to give him a nice view of her goods when she bent over his desk to staple papers. Both were fighting not to break because that meant the game would end and both were enjoying the foreplay, knowing the sexual tension was eventually going to erupt like a volcano.

At this moment Kori was sitting in Richard's chair, while he stood above her, giving her a massage. He claimed that the work looked like it was stressing her out, even though she hadn't even had the job two full days yet, but they both were aware that this was just a continuation of the game. At first it was just a shoulder message, but then his hands began to explore a little. They moved from her neck down her entire back, her letting out soft moans of pleasure as he worked. He couldn't stop himself from running his hands down her thin sides, brushing his fingers across her breasts as her did.

Her breath hitched and her chest began to rise and fall a little more quickly. She was loving the sensations running through her, the lines between lust and love blurring into one. "Careful Mr. Grayson. One could assume that you are trying to do the seducing of me."

He smirked and leaned further down, his lips brushing against the back of her neck. "Oh, and what if I was?"

She smiled seductively as she played along, trying to break him. She wanted him to kiss her at this point. She didn't know if she were ready for a relationship, but she was ready to be physical... very physical. "Then I would suggest that you lock the door. We would not want anyone to walk in on us, now would we?"

She heard him swallow behind her and she knew she had him. If he actually made the move to lock the door then proceed to pin her to the desk and make love to her, she would have no qualms about it, but she knew Richard well enough to know he wouldn't bite. With any other girl she knew it would be different, but with her he was far more careful. She realized that he still had feelings for her, to what extent she didn't know, but there were definitely feelings. His heart was on the line and she knew he would analyze the situation until he knew things would work out before he made his move.

She no longer felt nervous around him and was now in the phase where she was trying to show him that she was ready to be physical at the very least, but she guessed that would come with time. She just hoped it wasn't to much longer. "I uhhh... I better get back to work," he said, clearing his throat and taking a seat on top of her as if she wasn't even there. She wrapped her arms around his waist and relaxed against the back of the chair, more than content to sit here like this, despite the fact he weighed almost a hundred pounds more than her.

And they said being a secretary was hard work.

* * *

**Friends**

Friday, July 1st 1:00 AM - Richard and Starfire's house

3rd person POV

Friends. They really couldn't be classified as that anymore. The flirting had become to serious now, no longer just a simple game of seduction anymore. Richard's touches became less playful, turning far more sensual and Starfire's eyes showed longing, practically begging for more. They knew they were walking directly down the middle of that line that separated friends from a couple, leaving them with no classification for what was going on between them. The national media already assumed thay were back together and both were more then okay with that, holding hands in public and being very affectionate without any qualms who was around.

Starfire was unsure what she wanted still. It wasn't like that she didn't want to be in a relationship with Richard, she just wanted to hear that he was in love with her first. Richard on the other hand had few doubts in his mind that he was ready to progress things, but he was still... nervous. He equated it to getting back in the water after nearly drowning. Of course your going to be somewhat hesitant, but sometimes you just have to hold your breath and jump.

He was more in love with Starfire then he ever had been and she obviously loved him more than even Raven could adequately put into words. They spent the majority of each day together and had gotten into the habit of sleeping in the same bed. Some nights it would be Starfire's and others it would be Richard's. Of course originally it was to prevent her nightmares, but now they just did it without any discussion about it. Whoever the first to go to bed was, the other would shortly thereafter join them, neither saying anything on the matter as if it were perfectly natural.

Despite all of this, things were actually less complicated now then they were in the beginning. When they first decided to attempt this, neither had any idea where it would go, but now the path was almost completely clear. They new where this was headed it was just a matter of one of them being daring enough to take that leap and with the amount of sexual tension between them, that leap would be soon. Even currently they were having issues controlling themselves.

Richard pulled her tighter to him as they laid in Starfire's bed, searching each other eyes without any care to sleep. "You know, you are the most beautiful person I have ever met, inside and out," he whispered, no seduction or playfulness in his voice.

She smiled lightly, cupping his cheek with one of her hands. "You are most beautiful as well, in appearance and in what lies underneath, your heart."

His face sombered. "I don't know about the "what lies underneath" part. I'm not..."

"Do not," she interjected him sternly before softening. "You are the most wonderful man I have ever met. I have seen your heart. The man you are under the exterior. What no else gets to see. I am aware of aspects of your past that you are not proud of, not fully, but you will share those with me when you are ready. I know you have done things and said things that you regret, but do not tell me you are anything less than perfect because I will not hear it."

He studied her eyes in silence. Only she would think of him as perfect when the fact was that she herself was the perfect one. She was by far the bravest person he knew and had much thicker skin then people gave her credit for. His past had been tragic, but it was nothing compared to hell that Starfire had experienced. She was loving, so gentle, so caring and by far the most unique person he had the pleasure to know. It would be easy to call her weird, which would probably be true, but she wasn't to him. To him she was just Starfire... his Starfire.

It had never been more clear to him in his life. She was his and he was hers, despite what any labels would suggest. In that moment, he let down the remainder of his walls. It was time to jump, he knew she would be there to catch him... she always had before. It was time to restart what had ended nearly six years ago.

* * *

**Next chapter: What you've all been waiting for. Also, please put more feedback in your reviews. I wasn't enthusiastic about the reviews from last chapter. Tell what you like or don't like. I'm not a writer who has problems with justified criticism. Review for an update. If you haven't noticed I'm not posting until I average twenty a chapter.**


	7. Reunited

Chapter Seven - Reunited

**Most emotional thing I written in a while. I want you guys to feel something, if not cry when reading this. If you don't then I didn't write it well enough.**

**Robstar123 - Trust me the drama is coming... action too.**

**Warning: Sexual content in this chapter. Do what you will with that.**

* * *

Saturday, July 2nd 7:00 PM - Richard and Starfire's house

Starfire's POV

Babs, Raven, Donna, Jinx, and Starfire, sat in the living room at Richard's house, which Starfire considered her home as well at this point. Their significant others were out doing who knows what along with Vic. Everyone was in town because they agreed it would be good to do something like this once or twice a month. Just get together and hangout like old times.

Usually Starfire would not approve of Richard going out with Wally anywhere, but she was pleased that he was finally emerging from his shell... Besides she made sure to give Vic and Gar specific instructions to make sure Wally didn't convince him to do anything. No, Richard and her were not technically together, but that was just a formality at this point... or at least that is how she viewed it.

Richard wouldn't cheat on her, that she was sure of. He never had before, but she was troubled by something. She wondered if they were on the same page in all of this. Starfire knew he cared about her and was attracted to her, but she still wished to know if he was in love with her. She felt like he was, he treated her like he was, but if he truly was, then wouldn't he have said or done something by now? It really was frustrating and in Earth society she believed it was not appropriate for the female to ask out the male. She didn't understand it in the least, but there was still much of Earth culture that made little to no sense to her.

Starfire sighed audibly and Donna must have heard her because she addressed it. "You okay, Star?"

Starfire looked up from where she was staring vacantly at the coffee table in front of her and smiled. "Yes, everything is the okay."

"No, it isn't," Raven droned from where she quietly sat, taking a sip of her tea.

Starfire really didn't know why she even attempted to lie with an empath in the room. It was a rather pointless effort. "I am just a little upset with Richard at the moment. It is nothing that should worry you."

Donna, obviously still concerned, reached over and placed her hand on Starfire's shoulder. "You're our friend, of course it worries us. What did he do?"

"Oh, no. He he has done nothing wrong. He has treated me gloriously in every aspect..." She looked down at the floor another sigh escaping her. "It is what he is not doing that is frustrating me."

"You're ready to move forward and he is being hesitant?," Babs guessed.

Starfire just nodded, knowing she knew Richard almost as well as she herself did, possibly even better. After all she had been gone for a long time and had only been back a month. Maybe Babs could give her some insight on the situation.

"That's Dick for you. A copy of Bruce. You wouldn't believe how long it took for him to ask Selina on an actual date. I mean, I can remember back when I was Batgirl and Dick was Robin. There would be a robbery at some museum or something and me, him, and Bruce would show up to deal with it. Selina would always be there, keep in mind that she hadn't actually stolen anything. She would trip the alarm on purpose just so Bruce would come. One minute they would be fighting and the next they would just be making out... right in front of us." She shuttered at the memory. "It was the weirdest game of cat and mouse I had ever seen."

Starfire giggled slightly as Jinx chimed in. "What is going on between you two exactly? I heard on the news you were back together and Wally pretty much echoed that... I'm not really sure if he was joking or not. He never really looks serious even when he is."

"Things are... complicated between Richard and I right now. We are not together officially, but I do not believe we are simply friends either. We have shared a bed every night since I came here and we are quite affectionate toward each other. I am not certain I wish to be in a relationship until I find out if he is in love with me, but I am having certain... urges," Starfire admitted with a blush.

Donna laughed. "No, not our sweet and innocent Starfire," she said sarcastically, earning laughs from everyone except Raven, who was far more interested in her tea.

Raven sat her tea-cup down on the table and looked over at Starfire. "I'm sure this will all work out."

Starfire trusted Raven completely, but the longer Richard drew this out, the more doubt that filled her mind. He had to be in love with her. It was hard enough to hear him say he wasn't once, but having to hear it twice would surely destroy her heart. If only she could have fallen in love with a Tameranian, then she wouldn't have to worry about any of this, but she hadn't fallen in love with a Tameranian. She fell in love with Richard, or rather Robin.

She hadn't given him her heart. No, she was much to smart for that. He had stolen it with his kindness, letting her live with him during her first six months on Earth, explaining everything to her, buying her clothes and food, taking care of her when she contracted the Earthen cold, just so many things. She knew from the second he smiled at her that she never had a chance.

What would happen if Robin hadn't left Batman's side to strike out on his own? If she never crashed landed on Earth? If the Titans never formed? She knew that they somehow would still have met. How? It was simple... or to her it was. They were meant for each other. X'hal had chosen them to be together. That was the only way she could explain it. Even after they met it wasn't like they were a match made in heaven. They were polar opposites. He was darkness, she was light, but in her mind, that's what made them perfect for each other. They balanced each other out. Light and Darkness needed each other just like they need each other.

It would be simple to say it was just another example of opposites attract, but she knew that wasn't the case. It was so much deeper than that, deeper than she could even begin to express. She just hoped he felt the same way, hoped that he viewed her as his everything, hoped the he was in love with her.

"I hope so."

Saturday, July 2nd 9:00 PM - bar

3rd person POV

After a late dinner, the guys all decided to make their way over to a nearby bar before returning to their women at Richard and Starfire's house. The group walked in led by none other than Wally, a hologram ringed Vic and Gar following, along with Richard, Jason, and Donna's husband, Terry, who one the few people aware of who everyone was. They got themselves a corner booth and shortly thereafter a waitress came over to get their orders, eyeing Richard the entire time. Being famous was hard.

"What would you gentlemen like drink tonight?," she asked, smiling flirtatious down at Richard, who just ignored her.

Wally of course spoke up for the group. "Scotch for the five of us," he motioned around the table to Gar, Vic, Jason, and Terry before throwing his arm over Richard's shoulders. "And water for the lady."

Richard rolled his eyes and shrugged Wally's arm off of him "I'll have scotch as well."

Everyone traded uneasy glances, all being at least somewhat aware of his struggles with alcohol in the past. "I'm not sure that's a good idea," Vic chimed in, who had been oddly quite most of the night. If Vic wasn't screaming at Gar about something when they went out, then something was wrong.

"Guys, I'm fine," he assured. "One drink won't kill me. Besides, if I came home drunk, Star'd kick my ass."

Everyone laughed at this and Wally gave in. "Fine six scotches." He then turned back to Richard. "But after that you're cut off. Someone has to drive."

The girl nodded and sent Richard a very suggestive look before walking away. Terry watched her retreating form before looking over at his friend. "How do you do that?"

"Do what?," Richard asked.

He motioned to the girl who was now standing by the bar. "That."

Richard chuckled a little and shrugged. "I would love to feed my ego and tell myself that it's my dashing good looks, but its more than likely either the fame or the money that she's interested in. That's why I'm glad I have Star. She's not even from this planet and she's the most down to Earth girl I have ever met."

"What exactly are you and Star now?," Wally questioned before adding in. "And don't even give me no BS about how you're just friends."

Richard shrugged. "Things are a little complicated right now, but I think I'm going to ask her on a date. Bruce is having some fourth of July party and if I don't get her to go with me I'm going to have to steal your wife for a night," he said, looking over at Jason, who just laughed. Most guys would be jealous of their wife going out with a former boyfriend, especially their first love, but Jason was comfortable with it. He knew where everyone feelings lied.

"She will totally say yes, dude. Star's in love with you," Gar assured him, just as their drinks were brought over to the table.

Richard believed him. He thought Starfire loved him, but just in case, he had something up his sleeve. "I hope she does, but I'm going to woo her just in case. I got something planned for tomorrow."

"Finally, Dick's settling down... again," Wally teased before suddenly becoming serious... or as close to serious as Wally could get. "Which reminds me. I... I think I'm gonna ask Jenny to marry me on the fourth." He took his shot, ignoring everyone's wide eyes before laughing. "I mean it's about time, right? We've been dating for twelve years and I don't think I can imagine my life without her, so I guess it's time to pull the trigger. I love her."

"I never thought I'd see the day," Richard said with actual amazement. He always thought hell would freeze over before Wally got married. What the hell was going on?

"Wally, that's great," Terry congratulated him followed by everyone else besides Vic, who was already on his forth shot and staring down at the table with a blank gleam in his eyes, clearly lost in his own thoughts. Gar, being his best friend, had noticed from the moment that he saw him that something wasn't right and was fed up with it.

As Vic was about to start on his fifth drank, Gar yanked the glass away from him. "Okay dude, that enough. What's wrong with you tonight?"

Vic looked up from the table, finding everyone now looking at him with concerned expressions. Vic never drunk this much if anything when they went out, so they were just as sure as Gar that something was wrong. "...Me and Sarah are getting a divorce," he informed, his tone much quieter than normal, almost a whisper.

"What?! Why?!," Gar asked. They had only been married three years, how could they already be getting divorced?

He sighed and ran his hand across his bald head. "I told her I was in love with someone else." No one even had to question who that someone else was. Bee of course. "I just... when I'm around Bee, I feel things that I don't feel when I'm with Sarah. I mean, I love her, but... I'm in love with Bee. I think about her all the time. She's constantly running through my mind and it was making me feel so guilty that I just had to tell Sarah.

Everything was silent for a moment before Richard spoke up. "Vic, I'm really sorry to hear that. We all are."

"Yeah dude," Gar added in, placing his hand on the much larger man's shoulder. "But what are you going to do?"

Now that was a good question. He shrugged in response, his eyes revealing how conflicted he was. "I don't know, man. Bee's married, to a Titan none the less. I mean, me and Herald ain't never been real tight, but I ain't about to go and try to steal his girl from him."

Richard's face became serious. "Why not?," he questioned, to which Vic just looked over at him and raised a confused eyebrow. Richard elaborated. "If you are honestly in love with her, then isn't it worth it?" He shook his head and motioned toward himself. "I know I'm not the one who should be giving people relationship advice, but what I do know... What I have realized anyway, is that love isn't always easy, it almost never is. Sometimes you have to move mountains to be with the person you want to be with, take blind leaps, jump off the cliff and hope she's there to catch you. Any pain you feel if she doesn't is worth the risk."

Everyone stared at him for a moment, wide-eyed expressions on their faces. Since when was Richard this deep? "Dude, are you already drunk?," Wally asked, earning a frown from Richard.

"No, he's right," Gar interjected before turning to Vic. "I think you should go for it. When I first asked Raven out, she said no, then I asked her again... and she said no... again." He frowned before shaking his head and getting back on track. "But I kept trying and trying until she finally gave in and gave me a chance and six years later we're married. The point I'm making is that sometimes you have to fight for what you want because it doesn't always come easy."

Before Wally could make a comment about him also being drunk, Vic replied. "Yeah... Maybe you guys are right, but how am I even supposed to do this? Where do I go from here?"

"Tonight we get drunk!," he paused, turning to Richard. "All except you. And then we will go from there! Just leave this to me. They don't call you Dr. Love for no reason," he said, wiggling his eyebrows.

Richard looked at him blandly. "They don't call you Dr. Love at all, idiot." he glanced at Vic, finding that he was still upset. There was only one thing he could do at this point. It was time to call Starfire and tell her to get started on the traditional Tameranian pudding of sadness. Vic certainly would forget his troubles for at least a moment. It's hard to over think things when you're puking your guts out.

Sunday, July 3rd 11:00 AM - Richard and Starfire's house

3rd person POV

It had been a late night for Starfire and she had no intention of getting out of Richard's bed before at least noon. Dealing with a drunk Wally, who felt the need to sing constantly was bad enough, but then she found out about Vic's situation and instantly felt the need to comfort him. On one hand she felt terrible for him, but on the other, it made her see that she had been right all along. Vic and Bee were meant for each other. She just knew it. The way they looked at each other at the reunion told her all she needed to know.

Starfire was definitely going to have a conversation with Bee sooner rather than later, but not today. Today was her day to lay on Richard's chest and sleep... The only problem with that was that Richard wasn't there. She blinked open her eyes, becoming aware of her absent... whatever he was to her. She guessed he was up already, but she didn't see how, considering they didn't go to bed till four that morning and even then Wally had drunk dialed him for over an hour after that.

Groaning, she forced herself out of bed and slipped on her house shoes that laid on the floor. Paying no mind to her hair, past the phase where she always tried to look drop dead gorgeous in front of Richard, knowing he viewed her no differently either way, she made her way out of the room and into the living room, where upon reaching her jaw hit the floor. The room was covered with thirty bouquets of roses and Richard was standing in the center of the room, a smile on his face.

"What is this?," she asked him in amazement.

"There are exactly two hundred ninety-seven roses here. One for every Friday I haven't given you one." His face became completely serious, an intense gleam forming in his eyes. "I can't change the past, but I can make up for it now." Starfire wordlessly looked on, finding it very hard to breathe all of a sudden. This was the Richard she knew. The one who was romantically unpredictable. When she didn't say anything, Richard picked up one of the bouquets of roses from the coffee table and slowly approached her. He took one of her hands and placed the roses in it. "Star, I'm not asking you to forget everything I've done in the past and take me back, but give me a chance. Just one date and we can go from there."

She felt tears surfacing in her eyes and her heart was pounding rapidly in her chest. "You wish to take me on the date?"

He smiled lightly and wiped her tears away with his thumb. "I want to do a lot more than that, but I'll settle for a date. So, will you please go with me to Bruce's fourth of July party tomorrow night?"

She wordlessly nodded before burying her face in his chest and cried, having really no idea why she was doing so. She guessed that it was because of the confirmation that he indeed wanted to be with her mixed with her evaporating worry that he didn't want anything more than their odd friendship. Richard tilted her head up and began to kiss her tears away, looking into her emerald orbs the entire time. "You sure you want to go with me?"

She smiled cupping his cheek with the palm of her hand. "Yes, I would love to go with you."

He smiled. "Well then, I never thought I'd say these words, but... you want to go dress shopping?"

She giggled and floated into the air so she could nuzzle into his neck, purring audibly as she did. "Yes , let us do the shopping of dresses." She then placed her lips against his ear and whispered. "Perhaps you can take it off of me after the party."

He just nearly choked to death. Who was teaching her these things?

Monday, July 14th 8:00 PM - Wayne Manor

3rd person POV`

Hand in hand, Richard and Kori walked through the doors of the ball room at Wayne Manor, both dressed for the occasion. Kori was wearing a low-cut purple dress and the emerald necklace Richard had given her for their third anniversary, while he chose to wear a simple black tux... or rather she chose for him to wear a black tux. It was their first date... well, their second first date and she wanted him to look nice. They strolled through the room until they came upon Bruce and Selina, who stood near a group of older gentlemen, mostly Bruce's business partners.

Bruce's hawk like eyes spotted his son and his son's... whatever she was to him, almost instantly. "Ah, Dick, Kori, glad the both of you could make it," he greeted as he approached, Selina following behind him.

"Yep, just a few more hours and it'll be over," Selina added with a roll of her eyes as took a sip of her campaign. Just because she married into this life style didn't mean she was a huge fan of it. Nothing more boring than a party of old billionaires talking about money.

Kori and Selina shared a hug, while Richard and Bruce shook hands. "Tim and Helina here yet?," Richard asked, already scanning the party for his brother and sister.

Bruce motioned to the far corner where Helina, Damian, Tim, and Cassandra Cain, the new Batgirl and Tim's girlfriend were all sitting, doing there best to avoid any conversations with the people at the party. "They arrived a few hours ago."

Richard nodded just as music began to play over the room's speaker system. He turned to his lovely date and extended out his hand. "Want to dance?"

She beamed up at him, surprised by the fact that he asked. He'd never been to big on dancing. "Yes, I would enjoy that."

Richard smiled at he led her onto the dance floor and they began to sway to the music, other couples following their lead, Selina even managing to get Bruce on the floor. As song after song played Kori and Richard became more and more lost in each others eyes until eventually nothing could be seen besides one another. Neither said a single word, both far to entranced as the song 'Rough Water' began to play.

Richard studied her lips, how perfect they were with her red lip stick on, how badly he just wanted to take them in his own. As if understanding each other, he slowly began to move forward as did she. Time slowed down and their eyes became half-lidded in preparation, but both paused right at the moment their lips brushed against each others as if confirming that they both were ready to take that leap. "Are you sure?," she whispered, her chest rising and falling much more quickly now. This wasn't a moment of reckless abandonment. If he kissed her right here, right now, it couldn't be blamed on lust or a moment of intense passion. No, if he decided to do this it meant he was ready to be in a relationship. She had to make sure that this was what he wanted.

"Will you catch me?," he replied in the same tone.

There was no need for elaboration. She understood exactly what he meant. "Always."

"Then more than anything." He closed the distance between them and the moment their lips met the whole world ceased to exist. There was nothing, no people dancing nearby, no journalists taking pictures of them, no music playing from the speakers, now walls surrounding them, absolutely nothing. Kori hands clenched Richard's hair as soft moans escaped her and he pulled her as tightly to him as possible. When she felt his tongue lick her lips, her mouth parted without any hesitation. She allowed his tongue to dominate hers, content with enjoying the array of pleasurable sensations coursing through her. "Is this to much?," he murmured against her lips.

"No, it is not enough," she answered breathlessly as they parted. She wanted so much more. She wanted to feel his hands running up down her naked body, wanted to moan to his teeth nibbling on her neck, wanted to enjoy every inch of length inside of her.

"Are you sure you want to do this?," he questioned, looking into her eyes for any sign of hesitation. He wanted to so badly, but he didn't want her to feel rushed. They had time, they had forever.

Her response was to kiss him roughly, softly biting down on his lower lip. "I am more than ready and I would not like to be kept waiting any longer. Let us go somewhere more private now," she cooed.

She didn't have to tell him twice. He led her toward the room's double doors, walking casually so not to raise any suspicion, but the moment they were out of sight Richard took off into a dead sprint, pulling a giggling Kori behind him. They were upstairs in less than a minute, and considering the fact that she had been torturing him with two weeks of foreplay and she hadn't had any type of sexual contact in nearly six years, it was no surprise the very second they entered Richard's childhood room and he locked the door, they basically attacked each other, lust and love overcoming both of them.

Their lips met in a greedy kiss, both wanting to demonstrate to the other that they belonged to no one else. Richard reach for her hand and took off her hologram ring, dropping it to the floor. He wanted to make love to Starfire, not Kori. With the ring gone, he lifted Starfire into the air and her legs instantly found themselves around his waist. He carried her over to the bed and laid her down on it before centering himself on top of her.

Richard broke the kiss, not even allowing himself to catch his breath before moving onto her neck. When he bit down, Starfire completely lost herself in a euphoric state beyond anything she had ever felt. She turned her head to the side and let out moans of intense pleasure. "Richard," she called into his ear as her back arched.

Clothes began to come off, being carelessly tossed to floor until both were completely naked. With him in the center of her widely spread legs, she could feel his length press against her and it was arousing her to a point she had never reached before. Even after six years with out having sex she knew she was wet enough where he should be able to slip inside her with no problem and the extra foreplay he was performing for the lone purpose of teasing her was frustrating her immensely. "Richard, now," she demanded in a whimpering tone, practically begging him to make her his.

Richard ignored her request and began to kiss his way down her neck, past her collarbone, until he made it to her breast. He took her nipple into his mouth began to nibble and suck on it causing Starfire to let out a gasp of pleasure and thrust her hips forward, nearly causing him to penetrate her as she did, but her he forced her back down and continued to work. "Richard please, I need you," she whined.

He leaned up with a smirk and took her whimpering lips in his own before finally obliging her pleas, slowly penetrating her, doing his best to not harm her in the process. She cried out in a mixture of pleasure and pain before biting down hard on his lower lip, managing to draw blood, but he couldn't care any less at the moment, the warm, wet sensation of being inside her completely consuming him. He stayed absolutely still to let her adjust to his length, but after a moment she slowly began to rock her hips forward, signaling she wanted him to begin to move.

He did so slowly, thrusting softly back and forth. She moaned as placed soft kisses on his shoulder, while he focused on her neck. This was utterly amazing to her, beyond anything she had ever felt and yet, she still wanted so much more. "Faster," she breathed. Richard's pace quickened and the faster he became the louder and more frequent her moans became. "Harder," she moaned. Her body was beginning to sweat and her chest rapidly falling and rising. She knew she was close, very close, and with one final thrust from Richard she climaxed with a loud cry and arch of her back before biting down on his shoulder causing him to wince.

His body fell limp on top of hers, his breath sweaty and his eyes closed as he began to kiss her lips softly. She ran one of her hands through his hair, while the other explored the muscles on his back. "I love you," she said softly without taking time to think about the reprocutions of those three words. As she replayed her confession in her head, her eyes shot open and a gasp escaped her. This was not good.

She found Richard staring back her with an unreadable expression on his face. How could she have been so careless to let herself get lost in the moment? He must surely believe she was foolish to proclaim such a thing when their relationship really wasn't even defined. Fearing he would be upset with her or worse, not return her feelings, she forcefully pushed him off of her and quickly fled into the room's bathroom, locking the door behind her.

Tears began to fall from her eyes as she looked at herself in the mirror. "How could you say that?," she asked herself. "He is not in love with you. How could he be? You have only been with him a short time. You cannot expect him to return your feelings. What he must think of you now... what he must think of me. I am rutha for expressing such things to him at this time."

Her sobs became harder and she leaned her head on the sink. She just couldn't believe she allowed that to slip in their first moment of passion. X'hal, she just knew that she had scared him off by saying to much to soon. She heard the door knob jiggle, followed by Richard's voice. "Star, let me in."

"No, I do not wish to see you at this moment," she refused as she grabbed a white cotton bath robe and tied it around her.

"We need to talk," he retorted.

"Richard please, just do the leaving me alone. I... this is difficult for me. I cannot talk to you right now," she cried, begging him to go away so she didn't have to face the coming rejection.

"Either you let me in or I pick the lock," he replied stubbornly. There was no way in hell he was leaving until he told her how he felt.

She knew he would do as he said, so she reluctantly moved to unlock the door before quickly moving back against the far wall in a desperate attempt to distance herself from him. Richard opened the door before stepping inside, now wearing briefs. It would have been awkward to say what he was about to say being completely naked. He paused under the door frame, watching her eyes, finding pain, sorrow, and fear in them. All things she should never feel around him. "Star... what you said in there... Do you love me?"

She looked down at the white tiled floors, tears falling like rain as she did. Despite her crying their was no stuttering or needs for deep breaths in her angelic voice. "Has it not been obvious, Richard? Has it not been obvious that I never have stopped loving you? That I cannot even if I wished to? You are my world, my entire life, everything to me, but I know you do not feel the same as me and I cannot expect you to. I am the weird, that is what everyone calls me. I say and do things that people consider stupid. I can see why you fell out of love with me in the past and why you do not love me now."

Richard took a step forward, a softness in his electric blue eyes. "Star... I do love you..."

"Yes, but you are not in love with me. I know, you have said this before and please, if you care anything about me at all, do the leaving me alone. I cannot hear those words again." she broke down, now crying harder than she had in a long time. She closed her eyes and shook her head. "I know how you feel, now go... Please, just go."

She felt his arms wrap around her and she looked up to find him smiling softly down at her. "I can't go because you don't know how I feel... Star, I am in love with you. I never fell out."

She pushed him away and if it wasn't for his exceptional reflexes he would have surely hit the floor. "Do not!," she yelled. "Do not stand here and lie to me! You said yourself you were not in love with me and..."

"I was wrong!," he yelled back, interjecting her, before calming drastically. "Yes, I thought I wasn't in love with you, but that's just it, I thought I wasn't. When you left Star... when I walked through that door and found out you were gone, every piece of my heart shattered. My whole world came crashing down in the blink of an eye and it wasn't until then that I realized what a horrible mistake I made. If you need proof I never fell out of live with you, then I can give it to you."

She shook her head. "How? You cannot show me the past."

He extended his hand out to her. "Yes, I can. You just have to trust me." She stared down at his hand hesitantly, not knowing what to do. "Trust me, Starfire."

She took his hand.

Monday, July 4th 9:00 PM - The Batcave

3rd person POV

Richard and Starfire stood in front of the giant screen of the Batcomputer. Starfire watched curiously as he typed in something on the keyboard in front of him and suddenly a paused video appeared on the screen, a still image of Richard being visible "What is this?," she asked.

Richard starred somberly at the screen. "The past... The first of twenty-nine transmissions I sent you after you left."

"Twenty-nine?," Starfire repeated in amazement. Not only had she missed one transmission from him, but twenty nine? No, how was this even possible?

He nodded, giving her a sideways glance. "I sent one almost every month for three years... but you wouldn't reply, so I thought you hated me. Eventually I just gave up." He shook his head, looking down at the floor of the Batcave. "You're about to see sides of me that you're not going to like, that's going to scare you, but if that's what it takes to show you that I loved since the moment you kissed me and pushed me on the ground, then so be it." Richard took his eyes off of her and hit play.

Starfire watch with wide eyes as the video started. She instantly took note that he was crying, but couldn't se his eyes because his face was buried in his hands. _"Star... I'm sorry. I didn't mean what I said... It was just... I thought I didn't love you, but I was wrong, wrong about everything. I shouldn't have treated you the way I have been, I shouldn't have been distancing myself from you, and I shouldn't have told you I wasn't in love with you."_

He finally looked up at the webcam and Starfire could see he eyes were bloodshot, signaling he had been crying for a while. _"Star, you are my world. The love of my life. Without you I'm just empty... nothing. I need you. I'm not asking you to come back and pretend like everything's okay, but just give me one chance. I know you've given me a thousand by now, but if you just give me one more, I swear I won't mess up this time. I swear I'll treat you like you deserve to be treated. I swear I'll be the man you need, the man I know I can be..."_ He broke down further. _"...Just please come back... I can't live without you."_

She was in tears by the time the video ended. It was killing her to see the man she loved more than anything hurt like this, especially considering she knew how internally strong he was. If she had heard this, she would have been back with no hesitation on the matter. It was obvious he was in love with her and she didn't need any more reassurance, but the videos kept playing. At first he was pleading for her to return, but then on the tenth one, things became very dark. Richard's image appeared on the screen and from on glance she could tell he was drunk.

_"Ten months,"_ he began. _"That's how long you been gone now."_ He motioned to himself. _"As you can see, I'm a wreck. If you were here I can already hear the lecture you would be giving me. "Richard, what is the point in indulging in this behavior? Was this Wally's idea?,"_ he mocked her, letting out a somber laugh full of agony. _"You always hated it when I got drunk, but hey, feel free to come save me any time... God, knows I need it."_

His face became serious and his eyes taking on a glassy gleam just as tears started to fall . _"I miss you so much, Star. I dream about you coming back every night, but when I wake up in the morning and I find it was only just that, a dream, my heart breaks all over again... I quit the police force. I just can't function anymore. That probably has something to do with me being drunk all the time, but what does it matter? You're gone. Life is just pointless without you."_

He shook his head, a sad smile on his face._ "You remember how you used to say those things about us meeting at X'hal's gates when we died? I hope that's true because I don't see myself being around much longer." _He moved to click off the screen, but paused right before he did so._ "If you ever do come back, please visit my grave. I know I'm a worthless piece of shit, but it would mean a lot to me."_

Starfire stared at the screen in horror before looking over at Richard, who was looking down at the floor, seemingly reliving the events in his mind. "You were going to kill yourself?"

He shook his head without looking up. "No, but if someone else happened to do it then..." he trailed off with a shrug. Starfire covered her mouth and shook her head. He could have died because she left, because she didn't get these transmissions. If she ever saw Karras again, she would be sure to release hell on him. More videos played, each breaking her heart more than the last and then the final one came up.

He sat in a black chair, no tears in his eyes, in fact, there was no emotions on his face. _"This is my last transmission. I realize now that you aren't coming back, it's been three years after all. I just wanted to properly tell you good-bye, but first there is more that I have to say. Even though I'm nothing more than a ghost of man, I hope you're happy. I hope you don't think about me anymore because I'm not worth it. I hope you have someone who loves you and who you love back. And most of all, I hope you smile, smile at the sunset and the clouds in the sky, giggle as you sing in the shower, and enjoy the little things in life... You always wanted me to do that."_

He shook his head getting back on point. _"I'll miss you, we all will, but if you're truly happy on Tameran, then I wish you the best."_ He paused before emotion finally took over his eyes. _"I'll always love you Starfire. Good-bye,"_ he whispered as he blew a kiss.

The screen went black and Richard hit his keens, finally crying out all the pain that had been building up for years. He honestly felt more ashamed that Starfire knew of his actions than the actions themselves. A teary eyed Starfire quickly made her way to his side and wrapped her arms around him in a desperate attempt to comfort him, all of her doubts now gone.

He shook his head. "I'm so sorry, Star. I..."

She interjected him. "Shh, It is the okay, baby. I love you. I love you so much. I always will."

They cried together...

* * *

**Next chapter: The morning after, Starfire get's stuck baby sitting, and she had a conversation with Bee. Basically a fairly calm chapter before we get into the main plot line of the story. Did anyone cry?**


	8. The Coming Storm

Chapter Eight - The Coming Storm

**1. Sorry about not updating yesterday. Had a flight to Denver among other things.**

**2. I'm aware that someone is copying LFS and I'm going to give the guy a chance to stop or change his story before I report him.**

**3. There are some nods to Young Justice in this chapter. I really have fallen in love with that show and will probably write for it after Breaking Point.**

**Smile - BS stands for bull shit.**

**List of new Titans**

**Titans west**

**Tim Drake/Red Robin**

**Virgil Hawkins/Static**

**Helina Wayne/Huntress**

**Superboy/Conner Kent**

**Supergirl/Kara Zor-El**

**Titan's east**

**Kaludur'ahm/Aqualad**

**Jaime Reyes/Blue Beetle**

**MS. Martian/Megan Morse**

**Artemis Crock/Tigress**

**Lagoon Boy**

* * *

Tuesday, July 5th 7:00 AM - Wayne Manor

3rd person POV

Starfire and Richard laid in the bed of Richard's old room, both knowing they had to be at work in two hours, but neither was making any attempt to move, despite the fact the alarm clock was demanding them to. After watching the transmissions the night before, both had cried their hearts out, all the pain of the last six years seeping through them in the form of tears. After they finally managed to control themselves, both just wanted to be close to the other, so they headed up stairs to the room and snuggled in the bed, just staring into each other eyes until sleep finally took hold of them around midnight.

Starfire, just becoming aware of where she was and the events of the previous night, rolled over to face the man she loved, who was just beginning to blink his eyes open as well. "Greeting, my love," she smiled sleepily at him as she ran her soft hand across his bare chest.

He smiled back. "Morning Star, sleep well?"

"Always when you are next to me..." her smile then fell and her brow furrowed. "But I believe we should talk about last night."

He sighed before nodding. "Okay, which part?"

Starfire became slightly nervous, knowing she needed to be careful about how she worded this. "I... I know the transmissions are in the past, but are you better now? You no longer wish to perish, yes?," she asked with a world of concern in her voice. It was so hard to set through those videos and listen to him talk, to see his pain, but the thought of him actually wanting to die because of her was enough to nearly make her cry again.

Richard adverted his eyes, feeling ashamed. "That was a dark time in my life. I was rich, famous, had great friends, but yet, I lost the only thing that I couldn't possibly see myself living without. I just felt... dead with out you, and I guess I just wanted to get that living hell over with." he met her eyes. "But you're back and I wouldn't dream of leaving you."

She moved as close as possible to him, making them chest to chest, nose to nose. "Yes, I am back and I shall not leave you again, but there is more to be discussed. Last night we made love and you said you were still in love with me... Do you do the regretting of either of those things?" She hoped she knew the answer, she thought she knew the answer, but she need to be absolutely sure.

His response was to the tilt his head and kiss her, earning a soft moan in response. "I have a lot of regrets, but neither of those things are one of them."

She beamed a huge smile, but tried to remain serious. "And what is our relationship status?"

"Whatever you want it to be," he replied with a grin as he kissed her naked shoulder before nuzzling his nose into the crook of her neck.

She giggled at his playfulness and decided to play along. "If you are leaving this matter up to me, then I feel the need to warn you that you will be a married man by the end of the day."

He leaned back and took her lips in his once more. "Fine by me, but you will be a widow right after, because Bruce will kill me."

She continued to giggle as she absently ran her hands through his hair. "Oh, we would not want that." She playfully let out a dramatic sigh. "I suppose I must settle for making you my boyfriend."

"Do you mean "boyfriend" or "friend who is a boy?," he questioned with a grin.

"Both. You may be my boyfriend and my best friend, no?," she answered with a shrug.

"This is going to sound very... Wally-ish, but I can be whatever you need me to be." He leaned in and gave her a deep kiss to which she instantly responded, intertwining their legs and rolling onto her bare back to allow him to mount her. The make out session continued for another ten minutes before he became more adventurous and began to kiss, suck, and nibble on her breasts and just when he was about to penetrate her, his phone rung. Groaning in frustration he picked it up off the nightstand beside the bed and looked down at the caller I.D to find that it was none other then Wally.

Sighing, he answered. "Hello?"

"SHE SAID YES!," he yelled loud enough where Starfire could hear him even though the phone wasn't on speaker.

Starfire looked over at her 'kind of new, but not really' boyfriend. "Whom said yes to what?"

"He purposed to Jinx and she said..." He paused glancing at the phone. "Well, you already heard."

Starfire let out and ear piercing 'eeeeeeek!' before taking the phone from her boyfriend. "Wally, I must to speak to Jinx at this moment!," She demanded excitedly.

Richard just groaned a fell back against his pillow. "So much for waking up to early morning sex," he muttered. Starfire would more than likely be on the phone with Jinx the entire day and probably end up volunteering to plan the entire wedding. He could only imagine when he proposed to her. If she got this excited over someone else's wedding, then she'd more than likely break his back with one of her monstrous hugs when he finally asked her to marry him.

Yes, of course he had thought about it, even wondering how and when he would do it. One could say that they had just gotten back together, but when you know, you know and he definitely knew. Truthfully, she was the only girl that could handle him and even he would admit that he need to needed to be handled at times. She could calm his anger or his obsessiveness with a simple touch or a look that said 'everything is the okay.'

She was perfect for him in every way, shape, or form, so he had no doubts that he was going to marry her. After all, he had seen what life without her was like, and it wasn't pretty. He had no intention of letting her go again, no intention of returning to that hell. He knew now wasn't the right time for either of them, but the day would come when it was and when it did, he couldn't wait to see the smile on her face, the face of his angel, his own personal savior, his Star.

Saturday, July 9th 5:00 PM - Richard and Starfire's house

Starfire's POV

I sit on the couch at my home, watching the clock tick. I am waiting on the arrival of Damian, who I have found myself in charge of doing the baby sitting of for the entire weekend. Bruce is flying to Miami on business along with Selina and of course anywhere Bruce went Alfred was a must. Bruce goes nowhere with out Alfred. He claims it is because Alfred is most useful on trips, but Richard said it was really because Bruce would have the separation anxiety without him, especially considering he shall be gone an entire week.

Richard is also out of town on business, just business of different kind I suppose. He is back in Jump on his annual Titan's inspection, doing the examining of both current teams, to make sure things were to his satisfaction. I must admit he does like to be in control off every situation. Sometimes that can be quite... arousing. Though the Titan's are not, nor ever will be, a Justice League sponsored program, in all likelihood more than half of it's members will one day be apart of the Justice League, so he needs to make sure things are to his liking... at least that is how he explained it to me.

Richard trusts Tim to run things the correct way, that I am certain of, but as he says, it is better to be safe than sorry. Before he left, he promised Raven could teleport him back here in the blink of an eye if I need him and Wally would be stopping by daily to check on me, not that I am sure Wally would be much help with any situation, but I assured him I would be the okay.

Everyone always tells me I am just a big kid at heart, so I am certain Damian and I will have a glorious time together. I am most excited about the prospect of the baby sitting and even more excited about the fact that Bruce trusts me enough to let me do so. He does not trust many people, so I consider myself to be very honored that he thinks of me so highly. Richard will not be home until Tuesday, possibly later depending on how many things that he needs to correct, so it will be just Damian, Silkie, and myself for the entire weekend.

Even though my time will be occupied, I shall miss Richard dearly, but I accept he has responsibilities to uphold, being not only the former leader of the Titans, but now the leader of the Justice League. I am aware there will be times when he will have to go on missions for a few days and that it is just a part of dating the legendary Batman. It does ease my mind to know that Tim is already seventeen and as soon as he turns twenty, Richard will be making his return to Nightwing. I do miss Nightwing very much. One could argue that both Batman and Nightwing are the same person, so is there really a difference?

Yes, there are many differences. Though Nightwing is a world-wide known figure, he is no Batman. Nightwing can take me out in public without any thought on the matter, we have even went out on dates as Nightwing and Starfire before, but Batman is the night. He cannot be seen during the day or in public really. What makes people fear the Batman is the myth behind him, the darkness that surrounds his legend. Batman is to be seen as a dark silhouette, standing out on one of Gotham's roof tops, overlooking the city with his watchful eye, warning any criminal or Supervillian around, that if they do the slipping up, they will have the face the wrath of the Night.

Nightwing is a different story. He can play both rolls. Nightwing can be what the criminals of Bludhaven fear, the reason that they do not come out at night, or he can take me to the park on a picnic and no one would give a second thought on the matter. I have never personally been a big fan of the media spotlight, but I do miss the fact that when people heard the name Nightwing the first person they would think of would be starfire. People do not say Batman and Starfire, even though most people are aware we are working together now. No, it shall always be Batman and Robin. I just wish it could be Nightwing and Starfire again.

I giggle as I reflect on how he used to joke about our first child's hero name being Nightstar and we would call the next one Firewing, then Nightfire and Starwing. He always said we could not have more than four children because he would run out of hero name's for them. We of course have not discussed children since are rekindlement, but I am not sure it is necessary really. We have had sex many times in the last week and have not used protection on any occasion, so I suppose we are on the page that is the same. If he wishes to have a child now then I have no objections to it, in fact, I am more than ready for it.

I know we are just now doing the getting back together, but I do not feel as if he will do the breaking up with me again, not after seeing the transmissions, and I shall obviously not do the breaking up with him, even though he does anger me at times. I am correct is my assessment that we need each other, so I do believe that this shall last this time. I feel this and I know he does as well.

The sound of the door opening brings me out of my thoughts and I beam a smile when I see Damian walk in, holding a blanket in his hand and has a red bag on his back. He is so cute! He looks jut like Tim did at that age. It is rather amazing that Richard, Tim, and Jason all look like Bruce and Damian. It would be easy for anyone to assume that they were all biologically related. "Hey, Aunt Kori," he greets me.

I move Silkie from my lap and make my way over to him. "Greetings, Damian. Have you brought all that you shall need?"

He nods up at me. "Yes ma'am, I have my Robin suit, my utility belt, explosive disks, flash disks, bird-a-rings, ear pieces, and portable a crime scanner ... Oh, and my blanket," he says, holding it up for emphasis.

I blink twice, now sure that this child is somehow related to Richard. I know he is only nine Earth years of age, but I feel as if I am talking to a much younger version of my boyfriend. "Well umm... so much for the finger painting."

Saturday, July 9th 9:00 AM (west coast time) - Titan's Tower

3rd person POV

After a long four hour flight from Gotham to Jump, Batman finally saw Titan's tower come into view. He landed the Bat Plane next to the already landed Titans east ship, which meant that they were already here. He would hate to wait on them. The sooner he finished here, the sooner he could get back to Gotham, more specifically, back to Starfire. He really hated leaving her, but this was one of those things that had to be done. Besides, she had got stuck on baby with sitting duty, so Damian would be there and he had Wally doing daily check-ups on her... Not that Wally would be helpful with any situation. At the very least she'd be occupied while he was gone.

Getting out of the plane, he walked over to the door of the roof, which could now only be accessed by a voice command and identification code. "Batman, Justice League member zero two. Identification code Alpha."

The door unlocked and he headed to the bottom of the staircase, before continuing on his way to the automatic doors of the common room. When they swished open and he walked inside, his eyes widen in horror.

For starters, there was a giant white wolf on the couch, three times the size of a normal one, Conner and Megan, two teenagers he knew quite well, were in the middle of an intense make out session beside said wolf, Lagoon boy was scowling at them, jealousy burning in his eyes, Artemis and Helina were shooting arrows from one side of the room to the other, aiming at a flying Supergirl, Jaime and Virgil were throwing and electrically charged trash can lid like it was Frisbee, and Tim and Kaldur, the leaders of each team, were desperately trying to calm everyone down before Batman arrived. To late.

When the Titans heard the door open all paused whatever action they were doing and looked over at the door. "Shit," Tim sighed. In a instant Megan pushed Conner off of her and put on an innocent face that could rival Starfire's, Helian and Artemis hid their bows behind their backs and smiled sheepishly as did static with his trash can lid, Jaime dove out of Batman's view, Supergirl fell to the floor, landing promptly on her ass, and Kaldur just ran his hand down his face, knowing they were in trouble.

"Line up," Batman ordered flatly and everyone quickly did as instructed, practically running to the middle of the room and falling into a horizontal line, all having nervous expressions on their faces. Everyone feared the Batman. Everyone.

He walked over to the lined up team and eyed each one of them carefully, taking a little longer with his little brother, who knew he had a scolding coming later. "I have a few questions. For starters, what is that," he pointed to the giant white wolf, who lined up beside Conner as if it were a Titan itself.

Conner petted the creature gently. "It's my wolf."

Of course it was, because having a pet wolf on steroids was normal, but then again, he lived with Starfire, so anything normal seemed strange at this point. "Your wolf?" he repeated.

Conner nodded. "His name's Wolf."

Batman looked at him blandly. "Very creative."

"Don't even start," Tim spoke up in an attempt to defend his team, which actually impressed Batman. "Aunt Starfire has Silkie and it can turn into a huge moth with razor-sharp teeth at will," he exclaimed raising his hands in the air and spreading them apart widely for emphasis. "We can have a mascot too."

"I just asked what it was. Calm down," Batman retorted sternly, causing Tim's hands to drop to his sides. He then moved on, glancing between Conner and Megan. "Does Superman and Martian Manhunter know about this?," he asked, motioning between them. They glanced at each other before both nodding nervously. They knew it wasn't smart to date within the team, but they loved each other. It was as simple as that.

Batman just made a sound of acknowledgment before stepping away. He really couldn't say anything about dating within the team. Of course he had been against it originally, the very reason he refused to date Starfire at first, but of course she stole his heart, so he'd be a hypocrite to say anything else on the matter.

The Dark Knight then moved on, stepping in front of his little sister and Artemis. "Any particular reason you were shooting arrows at Supergirl?"

Helina knew how to deal with her brother by now. Give the most logical answer possible. "She is impervious to are dull bladed arrows so we thought we could use her for practicing our accuracy on a quickly moving target."

Batman nodded before glancing over at the far wall, finding at least twenty arrows sticking in it. "Looks like you both could us more practice if you ask me."

Both girls frowned, but before either could reply the alarm went off. Tim sighed in relief, happy to have gotten out of this... at least for now. He quickly checked the scanner finding it was just a simple robbery but, Batman didn't have to know that. "Titans go!"

Saturday, July 9th 12:00 AM - Richard and Starfire's house

Starfire's POV

Damian and I did a short patrol before I forced him to return home with me, so that he could get in bed by a reasonable time. I wish to take him to the park and the mall of shopping tomorrow, so he needs his energy, as do I. I must admit, Alfred has taught him manners very well. He listens to my instruction when I give them. I feel as if I am a mother taking care of her child, while my husband is away on a business trip. Making him dinner, telling him to take a shower and do the brushing of his teeth, watching a movie with him before we go on patrol, it is all very entertaining to me. I feel motherly.

Tameranians are a warrior race and it is apart of my instinct to produce early and often as possible, so that we may keep are population at a suitable level. Most Tameranian females my age would have at least three children by now, so I am a little upset that I do not even have one yet... not including Silkie. I of course view him as my child, but I wish to have biological children with Richard. There is some worry in the back of my mind that we may not be able to mate. After all, we have had sex more times than I can do the counting of without the use of protection and I have not yet became pregnant. Vic has assured me more than once that it should not be a problem and are DNA is similar enough, but still... I cannot help, but to be worried.

I suppose we could always do the adopting of a child if it did the coming down to it, but I truly wish to experience pregnancy. I giggle as I put the dishes from dinner away, thinking about how Richard would do the dealing with my swinging of moods... mood swings, I mean. I am aware that human women have them when pregnant, but mine would be far worse because of how much Tameranians rely on emotions. I am certain Richard would move out for the seven months I am pregnant. At least it shall not last long as human women, a fact I am certain he will be thankful for... that is, if I ever become pregnant.

Sighing, I put the remainder of the dishes away and decide to go check on Damian in the guest room before I go to sleep. When I enter the room, I find him laying awake in bed, watching Scooby-Doo. I actually used to enjoy this show myself during my first few years on Earth, but he should be asleep at this hour. "Damian, why are you up?" I question from the doorway.

He looks over me and shrugs. "Sorry Aunt Kori, couldn't sleep."

I know what it is like being unable to sleep. I sometimes went day without sleeping on Tameran because of the mares of night, but when I lived at the tower, Robin used to tell me stories of a boy in the circus, who I later found out was himself. Maybe I could coax him to sleep if I told him one. "I may tell you a story if you wish to hear one."

He sets up in bed, seemingly excited about something. "Can you tell me how you and Dick met? He would never tell me."

I beam a smile, feeling excited myself now. "Yes, I would love to," I answer as I walk over and take a seat beside him on the bed as he gets comfortable, placing a pillow behind his back. "I met Richard on June 14th fourteen years ago." I let out a giggle as I do the reflecting. "It was not love at first sight as many might expect. We actually ended up fighting against each other due to a misunderstanding. I had been captured by a race known as the Gordanians and I managed to escape and flew to the nearest planet with life, which luckily for me was Earth. I was attempting to get my hand restraints off, when I was attacked."

A loving smile crosses my face. "It was the best thing that had ever happened to me because the person who attacked me was him, my Robin..." I went on to tell him about how we resolved our conflict, he freeing me from my restraints, meeting the rest of the team, who would become my family, me "kissing" him, us defeating the Gordanians, living with him for six months while the tower was being contracted, my escalating feelings for him during this time, and all the way to Tokyo. I still blush at the thought of our first kiss. It was so romantic, just like in the movies where the couples kiss in the rain.

Eventually my speech becomes more mumbles and yawns than actual talking and I end up falling asleep cuddled up next to Damian, who was sleeping peacefully as well.

There will be no nightmares tonight.

Monday, June 12th 1:00 PM - Richard and Starfire's house

3rd person POV

Starfire anxiously waited on the couch for the arrival of Bee, who she had called and asked to come over that day, saying only that she wished for 'the girl time,' while Richard was out-of-town, but her motives weren't that innocent. This was all about doing her version of interrogating in order to find out if she still had feelings for Vic. No one would suspect that Starfire would be the crafty one, but sometime she just had to intervene. Vic was hurting and she couldn't stand to watch her older brother hurt. Bee lived in New York City, which was about a two-hour drive to Gotham with all the traffic, so Starfire really appreciated her coming.

With Damian watching television in her and Richard's room, Starfire bordly began to look through her phone, pausing at the picture of her and Richard that she had set as her screen saver. She really couldn't see how she was able to stay away from him for nearly six years because she was going out of her mind without him here and it had only been two days.

She knew he was busy, but she couldn't stop herself from calling him, just feeling the need to check on him. His phone rung three times before answering. "Hey, Star," he greeted, sounding tired.

"Greeting Richard, you sound quite exhausted. Is everything the okay?," she asked with worry.

He chuckled a little. "No everything isn't 'the okay.' These kids work really well as a team, but... they are just terrible out of public. I've been here two days and I've already had to deal with make out sessions between Conner and Megan... that's Clark's son and J'ohn's niece," he clarified just in case she didn't know their names. "Conner's giant pet wolf, indoor target practice, a water balloon war, sling shots, and Wally level maturity. Please come save me," he pleaded jokingly.

She giggled, covering her mouth as she did. "Batman requires saving? No, that cannot be true, especially from teenagers."

"Star, I've faced some of the baddest men... and women on the planet, but these kids... there just... evil. Were we this bad when we were their age?"

Starfire grinned and made her voice seductive. "Oh no, we were worse... much worse."

There was a pause on the other end. "...Well um... I'm just going to go now before I get in the Bat Plane and fly back there."

She tried to not giggle as she continued to tease him. "Oh? What would you do to me when you got here? Possibly some punishment for disturbing you at work, yes?"

"...Seriously who is teaching you this stuff. Wally? Is he the one corrupting you?," he asked, continuing their game.

Starfire opened her mouth to respond, but before she could, there was a knock at the door, who she knew was Bee because Wally would have just walked in. "Oh Richard, I must go now. Bee is here and we must discuss... well, you are aware of the situation."

"Okay, I hope everything works out. call me tonight. I love you."

She beamed a smile, nearly squealing as she almost did every time he told her that he loved her. "I love you too, baby, and I shall call you right after I tuck Damian in." The couple said good-bye and Starfire quickly made her way to the door. When she opened it, Bee squealed and hugged her, which she eagerly returned, being careful to not break her. "Sorry it took me so long to get here. Traffic was a bitch."

Starfire giggled as they made their way over to the couch where they took a seat. "Yes, Richard says the same thing every morning on our way to work... along with a few other things that I shall not repeat. He has the rage of the road, as they say and he will not let me drive after I put a dent in his Lamborghini. He says it is for my protection, but he is not doing the fooling of me."

Bee laughed and shook her head. "He still in Jump?"

Starfire sighed. "Yes, he is supposed to return tomorrow, but he says they are evil, so...," she trailed off with a shrug.

Bee once again laughed. "Weren't we all at that age?"

"Yes, I suppose." Starfire figured that was enough small talk and decided to become more serious. "I am curious, you have heard of the news that Vic and his wife are divorcing, yes?"

Bee looked down at the coffee table for a moment before nodding. "Yeah, how's he doing? I called him yesterday, but he seemed to be avoiding the subject."

"He is... well, he is conflicted on the issue. He says he does love her, but he is not in love with her." Starfire briefly frowned, having heard those words before.

"He's not in love with her?," Bee repeated, more to herself than to Starfire. "Is that the reason that they are getting divorced."

Starfire bit her lower lip as she thought, wondering how much she should say. "That is part of it." She decided to try a new tactic. Thank God her boyfriend thought her how to interrogate people, and do it well at that. "Please, your marriage is doing the okay, yes?"

Bee, who was zoned out in thought, looked over at her. "Huh?"

"I asked if you marriage was doing well," she repeated, but took note that Bee was obviously affected by the news that Vic wasn't in love with Sarah. Rather she was happy or sad about that fact, she couldn't tell.

"Oh, my marriage? ...It's... it's rocky. I think I'm having the same problem Vic had." She sighed and shook her head. "Can I tell you something without you telling anyone, even your hubby?" Starfire almost giggled at Bee referring to Richard as her 'hubby,' but fought to remain serious and nodded.

Bee continued, a conflicted, somber expression on her face. "Vic... he was my world for so many years. The only reason we even broke up was because I was ready to retire from being a hero and start a life and he wasn't ready to give it up yet, but now... I just... I think it was a mistake."

Tears began to fall from her eyes and Starfire placed a hand on her shoulder, urging her to continue. "Herald and I had always been pretty close and he was there to comfort me after the break-up. I guess I thought if I tried to force myself to move on, I could get over Vic easier, and that's exactly what I did. Me and Herald began to date and it was great, but... there wasn't that spark that I had with Vic. Starfire... I'm in love with him. When I saw him at the reunion it had never been clear to me."

"Yes!," Starfire exclaimed, nearly rocketing off the couch.

Bee wiped her tear away and raised an eyebrow. "Yes?"

In her excitement, Starfire lifted Bee from the couch and gave her a monster hug. "Yes friend, do you not see? Vic told his wife he was in love with you and that is the reason he could not be with her. I actually called you here today in hopes of discussing that."

"He loves me?," Bee repeated breathlessly.

"He is in love with you," Starfire corrected her. "He told me himself." Bee just blinked twice before quickly making her way toward the door. "Where are you going?," Starfire asked worriedly.

"The Watch Tower. Me and Vic need to talk. Call Dick and get me access." She paused at the doorway and looked back at her friend. "Thank you Starfire."

Starfire beamed a smile. "As Wally would say, they do not call me the doctor of love for nothing." How true that was.

Tuesday, July 13th 6:00 PM - Titan's Tower

3rd person POV

Batman stood in front of the line of Titans and of course Wolf, who he was sure was convinced he was a human. He had evaluated them extensively over the past few days and had came to one conclusion. No matter how good of a leader you are, no matter how much training you have, when you put five teenagers in a living area together, things are going to happen. It was just that simple. Despite a few arguments, pranks, and immature activities in general, he decided that they worked well as a unit. His brother especially impressed him.

Though Richard was the best pure athlete of the Bat Family, Tim showed an intelligence level that could rival Bruce's. He also had great leadership skills and was able to think under pressure and think quickly at that, things necessary to be Batman. Maybe he would be ready sooner than expected. Maybe he was ready now. Richard never wanted the job as Batman, in favor of making Nightwing a legend in his own right, but Gotham would always need a Batman, so he had no choice in the matter. Right now the Titans needed Red Robin, but soon he would be ready. Very soon.

"It's time I get back to Gotham. Starfire and Robin are undermanned and Batgirl still has training to do. Before I go, I just wanted to say I think both the Titan's west and east are excellent teams." He turned to Tim and smiled lightly. "I'm especially proud of the leadership." They shared a look that communicated a shared respect before Batman looked over at the rest of the group, begining with Superboy and Ms. Martian, who were apparently the hottest superhero couple since Nightwing and Starfire. If he watched television more, he'd probably know that, but Starfire and all of her damn romance movies that she absolutely had to see... He mentally slapped himself, getting back on track.

"As long as your relationship doesn't affect missions, then I see no problem with it," he began.

"Don't worry. We know the mission always comes first," Superboy replied, Ms. Martian nodding in agreement.

Batman returned their nod, but as he turned away, he whispered, "take care of her, Conner. It'll be your biggest regret if you don't, trust me, I know. Not everything comes before a mission." Superboy, being the only one who could hear him thanks to his super hearing, smiled lightly. And Red Robin said he was heartless. "You are all very impressive in your own right and I am sure all of you will make fine members of the Justice League when your time comes." He and Red Robin share one more knowing glance before Batman turned to leave, but before he did, he turned back to Wolf. "And I'll miss you the most."

Red Robin cracked a smile, before bursting into laughter along with the rest of the Titans. One thing was for sure. Richard was getting better.

Tuesday, July 13th 10:00 PM (Earth time) - Tameranian Grand Palace

3rd person POV

A tall, red-headed, muscular man stood in the middle of a large circular floor, standing before the ten members of Tameran's High Council, some of the greatest nobles and generals of Tameran, who were in charge of advising the Grand Ruler and making sure any of his or her's decrees were followed. Karras had called them all there just a short time ago. There was business to be discussed.

_"High Council,"_ he began with a nod of respect.

_"Grand Ruler,"_ Niro, the lead member of the council nodded back. _"Please, what is your reasoning for calling us here?"_

_"As you all know, my wife, Koriand'r, left for Earth nearly sixty Earth days ago and she has yet to return or send a Transmission,"_ he continued.

_"Koriand'r is no longer a citizen of Tameran. She left on her own terms and we do not expect her to return. She has done remarkable things for this planet, and though we wish she had not left, we have no authority over her choices,"_ Niro responded.

_"Yes, I understand this fully, but is it not my job to seek what it best for Tameran? Is that not my responsibility?,"_ he asked cunningly.

_"Of course, but with all do respect, what is your point on this matter?"_

_"I am curious to what your opinion is on me and my royal guards going after her. Maybe I shall be able to convince her to return to Tameran, return to me,"_ he explained.

Niro shook his head. _"It would be a wasted effort my king. She has her chosen on Earth, a human warrior by the name of Nightwing. We are under no delusions to believe that she has not returned to Earth for the lone purpose of being with him."_

Karras eyes widened, his teeth gritted, and his fists clenched. He obviously was aware she ha selected a chosen, after all he was the one who intercepted the may transmissions._ "I will crush this human and force her back if I must! I need a successor to the throne and she is royal blood. She will give me one, if I have to take it."_

Niro raised his hand to calm the young Karras. "_This human has been here before. He is the one who stopped Koriand'r's marriage during Komand'r's short rule. He took out many guards in the process. I do not believe it wise to travel to Earth. They are protected by the Green Lanterns and Koriand'r described a unit of warriors that called themselves the Justice League, as the most efficient fighting force she had ever seen. Apparently the father of her chosen is their leader. A man know as the Batman."_

Karras sliced his hand through the air in anger. _"I do not care! Koriand'r is my wife! She belongs to me and only me! I shall take a force to Earth and capture her and anyone who stands in my way shall be executed on the spot."_

Before Niro could discourage him, Karras was out the door in a rage.

There would be no good outcome to this...

* * *

**The purpose of this chapter was to introduce new characters, who will be vital very soon and set up the next ten chapters, which is really the stories second arche. Next Chapter: I can't tell you, but get ready for all hell to break loose. We're in the part of the story that I love! Review!**


	9. The Return Of Nightwing

Chapter Nine - The Return Of Nightwing

**This is a whip around chapter, but definitely not a filler. The plot starts here.**

**Also, anyone want a sequel to Drama: A High School Story?**

**New Characters**

**Kid Flash - Bart Allen**

**Wonder Girl - Cassie Sandsmark**

* * *

**We Need To Talk**

Monday, July 12th 9:00 PM (eastern time zone) - Watch Tower

3rd person POV

Bee waited patiently in the Justice league's common room for Vic to meet her. He was busy setting everything up for the annual Justice League induction meeting that was happening that coming Saturday, so she had been setting there for nearly three hours, but had no intention of leaving, even if she had to wait all night. They needed to talk.

Her long wait had given her a lot of time to think about what Starfire had told her. The reason he was divorcing his wife was because he was still in love with her. She couldn't believe it. It was just so hard to comprehend. They had been broken up for nearly five years now and after all of this time, he still loved her. Maybe there was something to this soul mate thing that all the romance movies seemed to glorify. Maybe they were meant to be together, just like Richard and Starfire or even Raven and Gar.

The titanium door being swished open got her attention and she looked up to find Vic walking in, looking somewhat exhausted. Despite that, when he saw her, he couldn't stop himself from smiling, even though he was curious why she was there. "Hey Bee, sorry to keep you waiting. I had to get everything set up for this weekend's meeting," he apologized as he took a seat across from her at the square table she was sitting at.

"It's no problem. Donna told me you might be a while before she headed home," she replied, tapping her foot nervously against the floor as she did. Bee had Wally level confidence, so for her, being nervous was a big deal.

Vic nodded, feeling a little nervous himself. "So, what's up? Everything okay?"

Bee studied the wooden table, suddenly feeling a level of anxious that could rival Starfire's in a nervous situation. "I uhh... we need to talk."

Vic swallowed hard and leaned further back in his seat. "Oh? About what?"

She took a deep breath in an attempt to calm her nerves. "Well, Dick's out-of-town on his Titan inspection thing, so Star called me and asked me to come over so that we could chill... well, she obviously didn't say chill because we're talking about Starfire here. I mean, she's just now getting a grasp on what hanging out means, and..."

"Bee," Vic interjected her nervous rambling, instructing her to get to the point.

Bee let out a nervous laugh. "Oh um, right. Well, we were talking and your divorce came up... That lead to another topic... I heard you said that you were still in love with me," she informed him, still unable to meet his eyes.

Vic's eyes found the floor. He wasn't angry with Starfire, even though he knew he should be, but he knew her well enough to gather that she was just trying to help him and that this wasn't a result of her just gossiping. "...I am," Bee eyes shot up to look at him, finding him still studying the floor. "That's the whole reason behind the divorce. I know it's been a long time since theirs been an us," he motioned between them. "I know you're married and may even be thinking about kids, but I can't control the way I feel about you. It's as natural as rain or the sun rising."

He paused for a moment and finally looked up to face her, seeing her staring back at him with slightly widened eyes and an open mouth. "I love you, Bee... I'm in love with you, and I won't apologize for that."

"...Vic," Bee began breathlessly as she stood from the table and slowly made her way over to him. She bent down and wrapped her arms around his neck as she stared into his eyes, while tears formed in her own. She had a husband back in New York, but what she wanted now, what she had really wanted all along, was right there in front of her.

"Bee, what are you..." She silenced him with her lips. He instantly responded, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her closer to him. Neither had felt a spark like this since the last kissed they shared nearly five years ago.

When they breathlessly broke away he searched her eyes for answers and she quickly elaborated. "The reason I'm here is because I wanted to tell you that I love you too... that I'm in love with you."

"You're in love with me?," he repeated in disbelief

She nodded. "I never stopped. We had our differences and it drove us apart, but I've never said that I didn't love you."

He was quite for a moment, his emotions bordering between intense happiness and indescribable confusion. Even with having an IQ of over two hundred, he was still having trouble processing any of this. She loved him? She was in love with him? But she had a husband at home, so what did any of this really mean? "Sooo..., he began slowly. "What... where do we go from here? I mean, you're married."

She ran her hand down the human side of his face and smiled lightly. "I don't know, Vic. I really don't know, but one thing I am sure of is that I want to be with you. I have no idea of where to even begin or how to start this, but we can figure it out... together."

He smiled and nodded before leaning in for another kiss, which she eagerly excepted.

* * *

**Honey I'm Home**

Wednesday, July 14th 1:00 AM - Richard and Starfire's house

3rd person POV

Richard walked through his dark house, taking a quick pit stop at by the fridge, which was nearly empty, signaling Wally had been over quite a lot in his time away. After making himself a quick bite to eat out of what his bottomless black whole of a best friend hadn't already eaten, he made his way down the hallway until he reached his and Starfire's bedroom where he found his lovely girlfriend cuddled up next to his youngest brother with a surely jealous Silkie at the foot of the bed.

He shook his head with a smirk as he leaned against the doorway. She used to do the same thing when she was left in charge of Tim. He guessed it was because of the familiarity aspect of it, but it could also be that Starfire just loved to cuddle with pretty much anything, rather it be him, Silkie, or a teddy bear. She enjoyed it.

As he pondered going to get in the shower and heading to the guest room to sleep for the night, Starfire's subconscious kicked in. She sniffed the air as one would if they were woken up by the smell of breakfast and her eyes shot open, instantly knowing Richard was home. She sat up in bed quickly, but was careful to not wake Damian. when she saw him leaning against the door frame, smiling at her, she let out a muffled squeal before quickly rolling out of bed and scampering over to him.

"Richard, you are back!," she exclaimed in a hushed tone as she leapt into his waiting arms.

He chuckled lightly and carried her out of the room, shutting the door behind them, so Damian wouldn't wake. "That's the second one of my brothers I've caught you in bed with. Who's next, Jason?," he teased her with a grin as he placed a soft kiss on her lips.

She giggled and wrapped her arms around his neck, before eagerly returning his kiss. "I prefer to sleep next to you, but I do enjoy cuddling."

"How well I know." His face turned more serious and he stared into her eyes, a moment of complete silence being shared between them before Richard finally spoke. "I've really missed you."

"As I have you. Perhaps next time you do the evaluation, you could hold it at the east tower. That way you would be able to return at night."

Richard smiled lightly and nodded. He loved the fact that she wanted him close at all times. Most men didn't like clingy women and neither did he, but he loved a clingy Starfire. She had always been that way, even before they started dating, and he never had a single complaint about it. A smirk crossed his face as he remembered something from a previous conversation. "Sure thing... Now, how about we get started on that punishment that I owe you?," he teased her, wiggling his eyebrows in a very Wally like way.

She kissed him hard before whispering seductively in his ear. "As Wally would say, I believe your shoes are untied. Perhaps I may time them for you."

His smirk fell, instantly rationalizing what she was getting at. "Seriously?"

She just giggled and walked off toward the guest room, stopping just short of it and winking at him before walking inside.

Richard practically darted to the room and for the first time ever, he realized why Wally was his best friend.

* * *

**Gone Wrong**

Saturday, July 16th 3:00 PM - Watch Tower

3rd person POV

_"Batman JL 02, Robin SK 01, Starfire TT 05," _the robotic voice of the zeta tube said as Batman, Robin, and Starfire walked through the bright flashing light of said tube, which had teleported them from the Bat Cave to the Watch Tower. When they stepped out into the large circular area were missions were given and debriefings were done, they found every current member of the Titans and Justice League already there, along with some side-kicks who were soon to be Titans like Kid Flash and Wonder Girl.

This very day happened to be the day where all Justice league members got together and decided who would be inducted into their ranks in December of that year. The candidates included all former and current Titans, along with some free agents, like Oracle, who had never been a Titan, even in her days as Batgirl.

When Superman spotted Batman enter, he cleared his throat and stepped into the middle of the room. "Now that we are all here, we may begin, but first we must go over a few safety precautions..." At this point Batman tuned him out and semi nervously glanced over at Zatanna, who he saw glance back at him then to Starfire before quickly looking away.

She was the exact reason the he didn't want Starfire to come with him, but telling Starfire what to do outside of a mission was pointless because she was just beg and plead and if both of those failed, she would poke out her bottom lip and give him her puppy dog eyes. She could pretty much get whatever she wanted at that point. He was defenseless against those eyes.

Even though he had obviously given into her wishes to accompany him, he was still uneasy about this entire situation. He and Zatanna had a short fling during the fourth year of Starfire's absence from Earth. It was really more of months of harmless flirting that ended in a one night stand. There were never any feelings involved... at least not from his side. From an emotional stand point, he had been dedicated to Starfire the entire time, but he believed she wasn't coming back, so he did his best to move on, finding that it wasn't possible.

When he took up the mantle as Batman, he ended the friends with benefits relationship that formed between them, stating he needed to give all of his focus to the job at hand, but the truth was he was simply in love with Starfire and felt horribly guilty about having sex with Zatanna. Their relationship had been rocky ever since. They were still good friends and occasionally assisted each other on missions, but they were no where near as close as they used to be.

Starfire was aware of who Zatanna was, but they really had never talked for any extended period of time. Still though, he feared the cat would get let out of the bag before he had a chance to tell Starfire about it and he really had no idea how she would react. She was emotionally unpredictable at times. He was fairly sure that Zatanna had known Starfire was back, but he wasn't to certain she was aware they were back together.

"Does everyone understand?," Superman concluded, earning nods and mumbles of understanding from the Titans and side-kicks, who the briefing was really meant for. "Alright then. If all current Justice league members will proceed to the meeting room we may begin."

As everyone began to walk off, Batman glanced at Starfire, who had wondered off and was having a conversation with Raven and Beast Boy, who were technically retired from being hero's, but usually showed up anyway, so that they could see everyone. His attention was caught when he felt a hand on his shoulder and he turned to find Cyborg standing there. "You're girl's gonna be fine. C'mon, we don't need to keep everyone waiting just because you're checking out her ass."

Batman frowned at his grinning friend as they began to walk off. "I almost like you better when you're depressed. You're quitter that way." Starfire had filled him on all the details, of his and Bee's relationship, and truthfully he was very happy for just rolled his eyes and walked ahead to catch up with Superman.

Batman walked in lone silence down the corridor before none other than Zatanna appeared beside him. "Can we talk?," she asked.

"Not unless you can freeze time," he responded as they neared the doors of the meeting room. Superman did not like to be kept waiting.

She smirked and took one of his hands. "emit ezeerf," she exclaimed, snapping her fingers. Suddenly everything and everyone just froze.

Batman looked around in amazement. "Since when can you do this?"

"My magic has gotten stronger since I started working with Dr. Fate. You would have known that if you paid more attention to me," she teased, but giggled when he frowned at her. "I'm just playing with you. I can only do it on the small-scale right now, but I'm getting better."

Batman just nodded as he refocused. "What do you want to talk about?," he questioned even though he was pretty sure he knew the answer.

She nervously bit her lip before glancing down at the floor. "...I heard Starfire was back. Guess it's true."

"Yeah, she's been back a while now," Richard acknowledged as he removed his cowl, seeing no point in wearing it at the current moment in time... or lack there of.

The two walked over to the railing of the Watch Tower and leaned against it. Zatanna played with her white-gloved hands a moment before looking over at him. "So, are you two... you know, back together?"

He nodded, not showing any signs of reluctance to talk about it. "Seems that way. We kind of started from scratch and went from there. We really just officially got back together not to long ago, but things are going well."

"So... you love her?," she asked, searching his eyes.

"I do... Very much," he responded. He didn't want to upset Zatanna in any way, but he had learned over time that it was pointless to deny such things because they would come back to bite you sooner or later.

She sighed and dropped her head briefly before returning her eyes to him and smiling. "Well then, take good care of her... Really I should probably be telling her to take care of you."

Richard chuckled, knowing just how true that was. He wrapped his arm around her and lead her to the meeting room as she put time back in motion. "That is so true."

She laughed in response and leaned against him. "Remind me why I had a crush on you again?"

"It's the ass. Star says it's impossible to resist," he joked as they neared the door.

She playfully leaned back and glanced down at it, making a whistling sound as she did. "I'm inclined to agree." He just chuckled and pushed her inside the door as he flipped his cowl over his head.

"Time to get down to work," he sighed, having no idea just how true that statement was about to become.

* * *

**Return Of A Hero**

Saturday, July 16th 4:30 PM - Watch Tower

3rd person POV

"What about the current Titans?," Wonder Woman suggested. They had been in the meeting room for over and hour and not one addition had yet been excepted. Most of the former Titans were either out of the game or already in the justice league, and the ones who weren't, had already been dismissed multiple times for various reasons.

When Starfire came up, Batman quickly rejected that. She was definitely powerful and skilled enough to be a member, but he didn't need anything else to worry about. Being a member of the Justice League wasn't a game. It was by far the most stressful, not to mention dangerous job on the planet. He had no doubt she could handle it, but he didn't know if he could handle knowing she would always be in constant danger.

Wonder Woman turned to Batman. "You were with them recently, weren't you? Are they ready?"

He thought her question over for a brief moment before making an uncommittle sound. "So more than others. Red Robin is ready, but he's needed there and Aqualad is by far the most well rounded and impressive of the group. Strength, speed, leadership, and intelligence, but he is also needed. The rest still have work to do."

Superman studied him for a moment. "What of my son?"

Batman gave him slight shake of the head. "To aggressive. Needs to work on his ability to think before reacting."

Superman just sighed before nodding. He didn't want to be Superman forever and was fairly eager for his son to be ready to take his place, but if Richard said he wasn't ready, then he wasn't ready. Period.

Before anything else could be said on any matter there was a loud series of explosions that shook the ground beneath their feet. The sound of faint screaming could be heard, followed by another ground shaking explosion and a yell that sounded like they came from Gar.

Batman shot up in his chair followed by the rest of the Justice League. Either something had activated Starfire's allergies or they were under attack. He was betting on the second option.

He ran down the hallway as fast as he could, a stampede of footsteps behind him. His mind was already thinking about how to combat the unknown foe, but his real concerns were the Titans, his friends, and most importantly, Starfire. When he finally reached the room, he came to an abrupt stop and his mouth fell open.

The entire room was in shambles, burn marks clearly caused by some form of powerful explosion, cracks in the wall, collapsed columns, and even worse than any of that, his friends and the Titans laid scattered on the ground, most unconscious, with no sign of who or what caused it anywhere. Flash, who was standing directly at his best friends side, was the first to recover from the shock of the scene in front of him and ran to Jinx's form, who laid limp near the middle of the room.

Others followed suit, running to their son, daughter, or partners side, desperately trying to seeing if they were okay. In that very moment something became terribly clear to Richard, who had absently removed his cowl, staring at the horrid scene in front of him. His knees went week and he found that he couldn't breathe. He had been trained for years to stay calm, stay rational, think things through, but he just couldn't, because despite the fifteen or so people who laid scattered on the floor, Starfire, the woman who his entire life revolved around, wasn't one of them.

"What happened here?," he roared in a panic. "Where is she? Where is Starfire?"

"They took her, Dick," Wally somberly said as he helped Jinx to her feet, not even bothering with the formality of secret identities anymore. This was no longer business. It was personal now.

"Who took her?," he yelled. "I need answers now!" He could feel anger and panic build up in him like never before. He need to know what was going on, needed to know how to save his Star.

Jinx weekly shook her head as she leaned against Wally. "I don't know. It happened so quickly and there were so many of them. We never even had a chance to defend ourselves."

"They were Tameranians," Raven informed as she stood to her feet, pulling an injured Gar up with her. "Maybe a hundred of them and there had to be more on their ships. Starfire said it was Karras. He is the one who captured her."

Richard's teeth gritted and his fist clenched. That monster. He took her against her will and he would pay with his life if it was the last thing that he did. Richard took off in a dead sprint for the hangers, but the exit was blocked by a shield of Raven's black energy. He turned back to her and growled. "Let me go! I have to rescue Starfire."

"No," Raven refused firmly. "They have at least ten ships with more advanced technology than ours. You'll be blown to pieces before you can get anywhere near them."

"She's right," Cyborg agreed from where he stood by the scanner. "They're traveling faster than the speed of light, already on the border of our scanner's range. You'd never catch them anyway."

"What am I supposed to do? Set here like a coward and watch them take her away?" he roared, earning everyone's sympathetic eyes. Richard never lost his cool, so everyone knew whatever he was feeling, it was ripping him apart.

"I can't lose her again! I refuse to! None of you understand, none of you felt what I felt when she left, none of you experienced the hell, the lifelessness that I did! She may be your friend, but she's my everything! I need her! ...If I have to live in a world without Starfire then I might as well be dead. There's nothing to lose."

Superman held up his hands in his best effort to calm his best friend's son. "Listen Dick, we just need to remain calm and think rationally for a second. I..."

"Fuck calm!," he shouted. "The love of my life is on her way to Tameran against her will, only fucking X'hals knows what's going to happen to her, and you want me to remain calm? They could kill her!" His fist clenched and he shook his head. "I can't let that happen, not without giving everything I have to stop it! I'm not Bruce! I can't just stop feeling when I want to! I'm not Batman!"

He slung the cowl in his hand halfway across the room. "I'm Nightwing, inside and out. Starfire didn't love Batman, she loved Nightwing and that's exactly what I'm going to give her... If I die, if I go out, I'm going out as the man she loved." He narrowed his now watery blue eyes at Raven. "Drop this shield. I'm going after her and anyone who gets in my way, I will take down."

"So, you're going to single-handedly go to war with an entire planet?," Hal asked. Normally he would be right behind him, but Tameranians lived in the Vegan system and unfortunately Green Lanterns weren't allowed there thanks to a spacial treaty that pretty much stated that what happened in the Vegan system stayed in the Vegan system.

"Nope," Wally interjected, removing his mask and walking up to his best friend's side. "We're going to two-handedly go to war with an entire planet."

"Wally!," Jinx began, but he held up his hands to silence her.

"Sorry babe." He motioned between himself and Richard. "We're soul mates. We live together, we die together," he said with humor in his voice, clearly trying to lighten the mood, but as he and his best friend locked eyes, Richard could see a far different picture. This was the most serious he had ever seen the red-headed speedster. Richard gave him a slight nod, knowing he would always have his back, even if death was almost certain. Wally just returned the nod and through his arm over his best friend's shoulders.

Cyborg stepped up. "Dick... I know what you're feeling, losing the love of your life... I've been there, and like you said, sometimes you have to climb mountains for love, fight for it." He stared at his friend, an understanding being wordlessly formed between them. "And I just want you to know, I'm gonna be fighting right there with you. Ain't no one taking our girl away."

Gar cringed as pain shot through his surely broken left arm, that he landed on during the initial blast. "I'm in too. Star's family, right Rae?," he asked looking over at his wife.

"Right," she nodded, knowing they were facing impossible odds, but that didn't matter anymore. When your leader is willing to single-handedly fight a war against an alien planet, not to mention the reason being a girl, who had became her sister, had been taken, then she couldn't back down, logic slowly starting to not matter.

"Don't forget about me," Donna spoke up. "I love her too."

Jinx sighed. "And I'm not letting my idiot fiancé run off to some far away planet, so he can flirt with any alien girl in sight without me being their to slap him when he does." Wally grinned at her and gave her a slight nod. He knew she would come through.

"My team and I are there as well," Red Robin spoke up as glanced at each member of his team, who all nodded.

"As are mine," Aqualad agreed with no hesitation. He stepped into the middle of the room, taking everyone's attention with him, including a lightly smiling Aquaman. "Though I have never had a conversation Starfire, I have heard great stories of her. She is not from this planet and yet, she risked her life countless times for it. Is it not time the people of this planet to risk our lives for her?" He turned to Aquaman. "My king, give me permission to go and bring Starfire back for not only... Nightwing, but for everyone who has ever been a Titan."

Aquaman studied him a moment before nodding. "Show them the power of an Atlantian, Kaldor'ahm. The majority of us cannot go. The Earth must have us here to defend it." He turned to Richard. "But I have known the man who will be leading you since he was a nine-year old boy, and I am confident he can do this." Richard and Aquaman shared a nod of respect before he took control of the situation doing his best to stay focused, despite his raging emotions.

He carefully analyzed everything. He had Flash, Wonder Woman, Cyborg, Raven, Beast Boy, Jinx, the Titans east and west at his disposal. Beast Boy, Raven, and Jinx had been retired from the game for years, Cyborg rarely got action even though he wasn't technically retired, the Titans were trained, but had never seen anything like what they were about to face, so that really only left three experienced members on their current makeshift team, but despite that, he liked their odds.

Why? Because he would stop at nothing to save Starfire. It was that simple. Time to get to action. "Cyborg, prepare the ship to launch, Titans, meet with your mentors before loading, Raven heal up Beast Boy and anyone injured, Flash, Wonder Woman, and Jinx stock the ship with necessary supplies."

What about you?," Flash asked.

"I have a uniform change to make." With that he turned on his heels and headed down a corridor to his office at the Watch Tower. He entered the security code and the door swished open, him quickly walking inside, his brain working double time as he did. Richard knew this was going to be a small scale invasion, that they were headed not after a ship, but directly to Tameran. Their ships weren't fast enough to catch the Tameranian one's, so they didn't have much of a choice. Either way, he had a plan to make sure that if their was any loss of life on their side, it would be his. He couldn't live in a world without Starfire, not again, so this only had a few ways it could end for him.

Richard walked over to a cylindrical glass tube that held a manikin inside, a black suit covering it's plastic body with a blue bird insignia on it's chest plate. He stared at the mask of the suit, memories playing through his mind as he did. "I'm coming for you, Star. Nightwing's back."

* * *

**Next Chapter: The makeshift team heads to Tameran, a terrible fate befalls a member of the team, and something very bad happens to Starfire. Next chapter is very graphic guys. Also, this isn't a filler chapter, so I expect a lot of reviews. I need motivation.**


	10. A Final Choice

Chapter Ten - A Final Choice

Tuesday, July 19th 1:00 PM(relative to Earth time) - Tameranian Grand Palace

3rd person POV

Starfire awoke to a spinning room, or at least that's what it felt like to her. Instead of instantly attempting to jump up like her instincts told her to do, she followed her years of training and did everything Richard had taught her to. First she attempted to piece together what happened, despite her foggy memory.

She remembered standing in the Watch Tower having a conversation with Raven and Gar as they watched the Titans interact with each other, reminiscing about how much they were like their older counter parts were at that age. Suddenly there was a loud explosion that would have knocked her off her feet with ease if it weren't due to the fact she was floating off the ground as usual. The next thing she knew, Tameranian guards, hundreds of them, were storming in through the sides of the Watch Tower, the lead guard giving them orders to seize her.

She let out a terrified scream as they came straight at her, some from the ground, others from the air. She did her best to evade them, but there were just to many. They caught her and restrained her in just seconds, and there was nothing anyone could do about it. Everyone in the room was down, the Titans, her friends, and the entire Justice league was over a hundred yards away in the meeting room. She remembered screaming for Richard as she was being carried onto the ship, but that was quickly silenced when she saw Karras standing on the lead ships loading dock, a smirk on his face and malicious gleam in his eyes.

She growled his name and tried to lunge for him, but could go nowhere, due to her restraints and the men who were tightly holding her. She was truly helpless. Once aboard, she was given a shot that contained some form of powerful sleeping agent that instantly sent her into a dreamless sleep and she guessed she was just now recovering from that.

With how she got here clear, she now had to move on to step two. Finding out where the hell here was. Making sure to not move to much, she looked around the dimly lit room, looking for anything that might tip her off to her current location. She recognized the royal purple lines on the white wall adjacent to her. She was clearly in a bed room of the royal palace, but other than that, nothing could be made out.

Not hearing anyone or anything around her, she attempted to set up, but found that she was bound to the bed, her arms and legs chained to the bed posts on each corner. She attempted to break free, but then she was horribly electrocuted by the chains themselves, causing her to yell out in pain.

Just then the door opened and a smirking, shirtless Karras walked into the room. A normal woman would instantly fallen in love with his looks. He was about 6'5, lean, muscular, had long red, and a very handsome face, but not a being alive could accuse Starfire of being normal. She saw passed the looks and knew he was just as hideous as the Citidel on the inside. Because of him she had lost almost six years that she could have spent with Richard and then when she finally returned to Earth and things were going gloriously, he had the nerve to come after her and take her away against her will.

She lunged forward in a rage, using all of her strength, only to be viciously shocked again, causing her to fall back onto the bed with another loud, agony filled scream. She went for the second option, which was her starbolts, but as she tried to activate them, a collar around her neck let out a high-pitched beeping sound before it also shocked her.

Karras just let out a laugh as tears of pain began to roll down her face, clearly taking pleasure in watching her suffer. _"I always knew you were a little dim Koriand'r, but attempting to fight me will only result in you being shocked once again."_

_"Why have you brought me here?!,"_ she yelled._ "I am free to do as I please! You cannot hold me captive!"_

Karras once again just laughed at her. _"I can do whatever I wish to do. I am the Grand Ruler of Tameran after all."_ He walked across the room, pausing to look out the balcony door's windows at the mountains in the distance. "It truly is all your fault, giving the High Council so many details on Earth's defenses and this Justice League. We attacked the Watch Tower as you call it, to rid Earth of it's pathetic warriors, but could you imagine my surprise when I found out you were there as well? It took care of both of my problems. I do thank you for being so considerate of time."

Starfire just growled in response, knowing she had made a mistake, while Karras turned to her and smirked. _"As for the reason I have forced you to return, well is that not obvious?"_

_"If it were obvious, I would have not asked, not would I?,"_ she retorted.

Karras briefly frowned at her before his smile returned._ "I apologize, I forgot you were not the most intelligent, so I shall explain this to you in a way you might possible comprehend."_ He walked over and sat down on the bed, running his hand up and down her upper thigh. She wanted to rip his arm, but there was nothing she could do._ "You see Koriand'r, you are all that is left of the And'r family, so you are the only true royal blood remaining and I happen to need a successor to the throne."_

Starfire's eyes widened, understanding what he was getting at, but just listened as he continued. _"As you know, divorce is not permitted among royals unless death comes to of the marriages participants, and a child born out-of-wedlock would never be excepted as Grand Ruler, so you will either give me a child or you will die,"_ he said far to casually, which made the whole thing far more sadistic.

Starfire was at a loss for words. Both options were terrible. If she allowed him to use her, that would mean having sex with a man who is not Richard, allowing him to impregnate her with his seed. The second option meant death, meant she would never see the man she loved again, at least not in this life. She couldn't make the decision, so she would do what she thought Richard would want her to do.

_"Kill me,"_ she demanded. No man belonged inside of her that wasn't Richard and she feared that he would hate her if he found that she was carrying the child of another man, especially if she was raped. It wouldn't have been the first time it had happened to her, but how many more times before Richard thought she was disgusting? If it weren't for him telling her she was the most beautiful thing he had ever set his eyes on everyday, then she would already view herself as nothing but filth, much like she did after what happened with the Citidel, before she met Robin. That's when her entire outlook on herself changed.

He laughed and grasped her bound arm tightly. _"You still do not understand. I am going to attempt to impregnate you, but if that fails then you shall be beheaded. You my dear, have no choice in this matter."_

Tears filled her emerald eyes This couldn't happen, not again. She had no concern for her own safety, only worried about how Richard would view her when he came, and she knew he would. He was her knight in shining armor, always riding in on his white horse to come to her rescue. He was probably on his way here now and she knew it would take them nearly week, so by the time he got here, and pulled off whatever ridiculous stunt she knew he had planned, he might not even want to be with her anymore.

She began to cry harder at that thought as a smirking Karras pulled a shot from his belt and injected it into one of the veins in her arm. Her last sight before she fell into unconsciousness was Karras removing his pants. Maybe Richard could one day forgive her, that was all she could hope for.

Friday, July 22nd 4:00 AM(relative to Earth time) - Deep space

Nightwing stood in front of all fifteen members of his current team, sixteen including the giant white wolf seated in front of Superboy and Ms. Martian. They all looked up at their leader, waiting for him to brief them on his plan. They had been traveling for six days and were just now nearing the vegan system. They would no doubt be there within the span of eight hours, so it was time to get to work.

Nightwing's face was the very definition of stoic, but on the inside he was broken, a hurricane of anger, worry, and hurt swirling through ever fiber of his being. He wanted to express it so badly. To cry about how he wasn't there, to scream out about how this was his fault for letting her come, to yell and rant about how it was his job to protect and he couldn't even do that... but he didn't do any of that. He let it fuel him, drive him to the point that he was sure if he went down, he was taking all of Tameran with him.

Despite the deep emotional agony he was feeling, he had to let his mind be clear to a certain extent. He had to be able to think if they had any hope of saving Starfire. It was hard to not let emotion overcloud his judgment, but if he did, not only Starfire, but the entire team was doomed. Even though the mission was to rescue Starfire, he also had a responsibility to keep each member of his team alive, especially the Titans. They were Earth's future after all. Starfire meant the world to him, but he had to some level of rationality and that's why he had a failsafe plan, but he wouldn't tell them about that.

Taking a deep breath to clear his mind, he began. "Alright everyone, listen up." He turned toward the holographic projection screen displayed directly at his side. "Display Watch Tower security video from outside hanger seven," he gave his voice command and suddenly the video appeared on the screen. All that could be seen at first was a man standing on the loading dock of the lead ship, the silver Tmaeranian crown on his head, signaling he was the Grand Ruler.

Nightwing paused the video and zoomed in on the man before turning back to his team. "That's Karras. He is not to be engaged by anyone but me. Is that understood?" Everyone nodded, knowing his reasoning, so he continued. "We will be landing in approximately seven and a half hours. It will be around noon Tameranian time, which isn't ideal for an invasion, but we can't afford to wait it out."

He paused for a moment in thought before continuing. "An ambush is pointless. They will be expecting us, so we might as well land on one of the landing pads at the Grand Palace. Opposition is certain, but we should be able to handle the guards without much of a problem. After we have secured our landing post, Raven is going to become to most vital member of this mission."

"Why me?," she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"You have to most responsibility," he replied. "After we're secured, we'll be breaking off into three teams. Alpha squad, which consists of myself, Aqualad, Superboy, Ms. Martian, Red Robin, Wonder Woman, Tigress, and Wolf, are headed for Karras, while Beta squad, Cyborg, Flash, Jinx, Supergirl, Huntress, Lagoon Boy, Static, and Blue Beetle will be going to rescue Starfire."

He turned his attention to Raven. "You and Beast Boy are Gama squad. You two must keep the ship safe and our landing area secure. The last thing we need is to get stuck there. You are also going to have to lock in on both Starfire and Karras' energy signatures an direct each team to them." He raised a small black device to show it to the entire group. "Each of you will be given an ear piece, just like this one. You can us it to communicate with a specific team member or the group as a whole."

Ms. Martian raised her hand, getting Nightwing's attention. "Yes?," he questioned.

"The ear pieces aren't necessary. I can connect us psychically," she offered.

Nightwing shook his head, a small frown on his already stern features. "No offence Ms. Martian, but I really don't want anyone to hear my thoughts at the current moment."

She gave him a small smile and an understanding nod, knowing she would be devastated if something like this happened to Conner. Despite his breakdown at the Watch Tower, he was handling the remarkably, far better than she could possibly conceive.

Nightwing just continued, turning to Raven. "Any injured will be returned back to you for a healing session. I know I'm asking a lot Raven, but..."

"Don't worry about it," she interjected him. "She's the annoying sister I never wanted and I will do anything I can to save her."

He offered the closest thing he could to a smile and nodded. "Alright, Beta squad, once you locate and have Starfire, you return the ship instantly. As far as my squad, your only objective is to help me fight off guards until we reach Karras. From there, you let me handle things without interference. Any questions?"

Flash raised his hand. "Oh! Over here, boss!

"Any relevant questions?," Nightwing clarified.

Flash dropped his hand and everyone laughed a little, Nightwing even smirking, knowing Wally was only doing his best to keep everyone loose. He was really glad he had him. God knows he needed his best friend at the moment.

"One more thing..." His jaw tightened and his body became somewhat tense, something that didn't go unnoticed by his little brother. "...If I at anytime order you to abort the mission, you go. No questions, no hesitation."

"Dick..." Red Robin began, knowing his brother had something up his sleeve.

"No questions, Tim," Nightwing interjected absolutely before turning to the rest of the group. "I just want to say one thing before we land. Thank you, all of you... None of you had to come, but you did and I just want you to know that no matter what happens there, I will be eternally grateful to each one of you and I know Starfire would be as well."

Aqualad stood from the table. "There is no need to thank us. Starfire is a Titan, just as all of you are," he motioned to the senior members of the group. "Once a Titan, always a Titan, and Titans take care of their own." Things were quite for a moment, each member aboard the ship somewhat marveled by the young man's maturity.

As always, Wally was the first to speak. "So let's kick so Tameranian ass!," he bellowed, jumping to his feet and slamming his hands down on the table for dramatic effect.

Nightwing smirked and Raven let out a small smile as everyone got lost in a motivated uproar. They were ready for battle... No, they were ready for all out war.

Friday, July 22nd 9:00 AM(relative to Earth time) - Tameranian throne room

3rd person POV

A very nervous noble entered the throne room, finding his king setting on the throne, looking quite smug. This particular noble, a Tameranian man named Morel, had been assigned to run tests on highly drugged and unconscious Starfire to find out if the impregnation had been successful. The test results had just came back and he really wasn't sure how Karras would react to the news he was about to give him.

As Morel neared him, he halted in place and bowed out of custom, while Karras just smiled, eager to hear the results of the tests._ "Ah Morel, what news have you brought me? The impregnation was successful, yes?"_ He had every reason to believe it would be. Tameranian women became pregnant very easily when they mated with Tameranian males. It was almost guaranteed.

Morel looked down at the floor and nervously shifted from foot to foot, not even sure how to begin. _"Um, yes my king, she is pregnant... but um... when we did the DNA scan, we discovered something very odd. She is at least two weeks into her pregnancy and the child... it is part human."_

Karras' eyes widened and his teeth gritted together. How could this be? She was already Pregnant? By a human, none the less? _"You are telling me that she is pregnant by an Earthling? How?,"_ he barked, causing Morel to take a few steps back out of fear.

_"Well... it is possible, my king. Human's have a similar DNA sequence. ...But there is no doubt about the pregnancy. She is carrying a half-human child."_

Karras rocketed to his feet in fury, slicing his hands through the air as he did. _"This is not acceptable!. How dare she, a woman of royal blood, become pregnant by a mere human."_ He began to pace, his anger increasing with every step. _"No, this shall not do at all. I shall fulfill my promise. If she cannot give me a child, then she and her half-breed shall be executed."_

Morel stared at the Grand Ruler horror. He couldn't really live with killing an unborn child, could he? _"Grand Ruler, I mean no disrespect, but do you not think that is taking things to far? What harm would it do in letting her return to Earth?"_

Karras' eyes filled with rage. _"Do not question me unless you would like to join her."_

The noble shrunk down and bowed._ "My apologies, it was not my place."_

Karras seemed to ignore his apology and just continue. _"Tell the royal guards to carry her to a cell. Put her with that old fool, Galfore. I believe we shall be having some visitors shortly, so make sure to inform the prison guards that they must remain at post at all times. As soon as they are taken care of, I shall personally behead her."_

Morel swallowed before bowing. _"Yes, my king."_ With that he quickly walked away, finding himself actually rooting for the humans.

Friday, July 22nd 11:45 AM(Relative to Earth time - Tameranian Atmosphere

3rd Person POV

"Raise the shields!," Nightwing ordered as their ship was met by a small Tameranian fleet just as he expected they would be.

Cyborg expertly dodged laser the ship's fired at them before doing as Nightwing instructed and activated the ships defense system. He ran a quick sonar scan on their surroundings, finding that a whole other fleet was on it's way. "Nightwing, we got a problem. There bringing back up."

"Go on offensive, blast their engines," he instructed as he stood as Cyborg's side, everyone else looking on from behind them. Cyborg gave him a questioning look in response, surprised that he was being so aggressive. "They can breathe in space, we can't. Take them out," he said, leaving no room for argument.

Cyborg did as instructed, as charged the ship's sonic cannon, much like the one on his arm, except on a much larger scale. "Cannons are ready," he informed as he look down at the display screen in front of him.

"Fire at will."

Cyborg waited until the fleet was in range then he pressed the red button. A brilliant white light shot from the ship's cannons, managing to all but destroy the on coming Tameranian ones. With the ships out of the way, they had a clear path, but Nightwing was no fool. He knew more would come if they didn't hurry.

"Put the ship at top speed before they get more up here," he ordered. Cyborg put the thrusters at maximum output and the ship jetted off at near light speed, the fastest a human built vessel could possibly go with Earth's current technology.

In just seconds, the ship began to rattle due to the turbulence of Tameran's thick atmosphere, but as soon as they had cleared that, it was smooth sailing from there. Tameran was a rather small planet, only a little bigger than Earth's moon, so at the speed they were traveling, it only took minutes for the Grand Palace to come into view.

"Land the ship on any dock available," he instructed Cyborg before turning to the rest of the team. "Everyone else, get ready. Turn on you ear pieces. We're going to face some form opposition, that is guaranteed, but as soon at that's taken care of, we're dividing into individual teams." Following their leaders orders, they all activated the small black devices in their ears, linking them all together, before gathering in front of the door, Raven leading the entire group.

"Landing in ten seconds, get ready y'all," everyone heard Cyborg call. Though they wouldn't say it aloud, each member of the team began to count back from ten in their head, each member besides Nightwing. He was beyond focused, only have one thing on his mind. The mission. Save Starfire and make sure, somehow, someway, that Karras could never hurt her again, could never take her away from him.

When he was angry wasn't when you had to worry about him. It was when he was like this, when everything moved just a little slower and he was a walking machine with a singular goal, that he was truly a force to be recon with and anyone who got in his way was about to find out how true that was.

The ship jarred slightly as it hit the ground, and no later than it did, the hatch opened and they rushed out, finding around fifty Tameranian warriors standing in battle formation on the narrow stone bridge in front of them, obviously expecting the teams arrival.

The guards weren't sure why Karras wanted them dead, but they followed their orders and charged forward. Despite the guards' obliviousness to the details of the situation, the Titans, old and new, didn't hold back. Raven's eyes began to glow under her white hood and in one forceful thrust forward, black energy coated the front line of the on coming warriors, sending them flying backwards, straight into their allies.

Red Robin and Nightwing glanced at each other and that was all it took for them to communicate whatever it was they were trying to say. Red Robin nodded before grabbing a smoke bomb from his utility belt and threw it near the feet of the standing guards. A thick grey smoke surround the air around them, while Nightwing withdrew his bo staff and charged forward into the haze, making sure to activate the heat vision component of his mask, so that he could see them through the smoke.

As Nightwing combated the men directly, picking them off like flies with his channeled rage, Cyborg and Blue beetle were firing their energy cannons, Static was electrocuting anything and anyone in purple, and Ms. Martian and Raven were using their abilities to send guards flying into one another.

When the smoke began to clear, a lone figure could be seen standing in the middle of the unconscious guards, which was revealed to be Nightwing as a slight gust of wind blew the remainder of the haze away. "Get in your squads now," he ordered and just as quickly everyone filed into where they were supposed to be. He turned to Raven. "Where are we headed."

She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, first searching for Starfire's energy signature. She could sense it, but it was very dim. She wasn't dead, but there was definitely something wrong. It was almost like she was sedated in a way, but they could worry about that when they found her. Raven's mind searched the many corridors of the palace, until she finally located where Starfire was.

Her eyes shot open. "Starfire's being held in the same room we were when we were captured here during Starfire's supposed to be wedding," she informed.

Nightwing looked over at Cyborg. "You remember how to get there?"

Cyborg nodded. "Already on it." He turned to his team. "Beta squad with me, lets go!," he ordered as he ran off, his group following him.

Nightwing and Flash locked eyes for a brief moment, a small nod being shared between them, before Flash zipped off to catch up with the group. Knowing Wally would give everything to save Starfire, he turned back to Raven. "And Karras?"

She once again closed her eyes and allowed her mind to wonder. She had only gotten a glimpse at him, but it was all she needed to know what his energy felt like. He wasn't to far from their current location, but their were a lot of energy signatures between here and there, meaning he was heavily guarded.

"He's in the throne room," she reported as she reopened her eyes.

Nightwing's fist clenched together and he could feel adrenaline coursing through him, like a lion that had just spotted it's prey. It's was time to pounce.

Friday, July 22nd 1:00 PM(relative to Earth time) - Tameranian Grand Palace

3rd Person POV

_"Koriand'r. Koriand'r, wake up my little bumgorf."_ Starfire felt herself being shook awake, and with a groan, opened her eyes to find her K'norfka looking down at her, worry on his face.

_"K'norfka Galfore... where... where am I?,"_ she asked weakly, her throat being very dry.

_"You are in containment. I cannot say I know why. I believed you were on Earth,"_ he replied as he helped her slowly sit-up._ "Guards brought you in here a few hours ago."_

_"Karras... he came to Earth and captured me."_ Suddenly her foggy mind vaguely remembered what had happened, remembered Karras forcing himself inside of her, her screaming in intense pain even through her drugged state. Tears began to fill her eyes and she buried her face into Galfore's chest. _"No. No. No."_ She sobbed as she shook her head. _"Why? Why must have this have happened?"_

_"Koriand'r, what do you mean?,"_ Galfore asked softly as he ran his giant hand through her hair in an attempt to comfort her.

_"He... He drugged me and forced himself inside of me. He said he needed a successor and that is the reason he came to Earth to capture me."_ She guessed that his attempt to impregnate her had been unsuccessful, otherwise she wouldn't be in here.

Galfore's eyes widened and his fists clenched, anger blazing within him. He understood the politics of Tameran, but this woman was the closest thing he had to a daughter. It wasn't right! _"That monster!,"_ he growled. _"If I were able to escape from this prison, then I would snap him in two."_

Starfire rose her head and looked around at the red containment field surrounding them and that's when she realized something. Why was Galfore here? She was certain that he had committed no crime. _"K'norfka, why are you imprisoned? Surely you have done nothing wrong."_

He sighed and pulled her closer, resting his head on the top of hers. _"You are not the only one Karras has wronged. The instant you returned to Earth, he sent his guards for me and at my age, I could not defend myself."_ Galfore growled. _"The man is not a ruler, he is a tyrant that craves power."_

_"I am sorry you had to experience such treatment, but I assure you, my chosen and friends are on their way. They will save us, I know this. Richard will come for me."_ She hung her head, wondering if he would want anything to do with her after he discovered she had been raped yet again. Could he even look at her after this? She knew she certainly couldn't look at herself, not without feeling disgusted.

_"I truly hope they do come, for your sake more than mine,"_ he whispered.

As if on que, the opposite wall suddenly exploded leaving a giant circular hole in it. The next either knew, a speeding blur of red came darting through said whole and across the room, coming to a skidding stop in front of them.

Starfire's heart soared when she saw that it was Flash, Cyborg Jinx, and five of the Titans following a good distance behind him. "Hey pretty lady, order a rescue?"

Starfire beamed a teary eyed smile up at him. "I knew you would all come for me... but where is Richard and the rest of our friends?"

"Raven and BB are guarding the ship and Nightwing's got his own squad heading for that Karras guy," Wally explained as he began to examine the force field.

"Nightwing?," Starfire breathlessly repeated, feeling excitement begin to flow within her. It hadn't been Batman to come rescue her, it was the man she loved. Nightwing.

Flash waved his hand dismissively. "Yeah, you know him. Can't make up his mind. One day he's Batman, the next he's Nightwing. I bet he even still tries on his Robin suit from time to time," he joked, trying to keep her as calm as possible. He then turned serious. "First things first, we need to get you out of here and I have no idea how to do that."

"Leave that to me," Static's out of breath voice came, as he and the rest of Beta Squad finally caught up with Flash. He examined the red containment field until he spotted a silver control podium at it's side. Smirking, he blasted it with a ball of electricity, causing the lights on its panel to blink on and off rapidly before exploding.

The containment field began to flicker before finally turning off, freeing Starfire and Galfore. Cyborg was at their side in seconds, helping them both to their feet. "Thank God, are you okay?," he asked Starfire.

She frowned briefly before nodding slightly. She could deal with her trauma later, right now she had to stay strong, had to stay focused, knowing this wasn't over yet. "I shall be the okay."

Flash activated his ear piece, as he took a few steps away. "Hey Nightwing..."

"Wally... everyone... I love you. All of you... Never forget that. Abort mission. I repeate, abort mission." came his voice in almost a whisper.

Everyone traded worried glances, besides Starfire and Galfore, who could not hear him, but before anyone could question him, his line went dead. What followed would bring many tears.

A loud, earth shattering explosion went off from somewhere in the building. The entire team's heart sunk, knowing who caused it.

**Simultaneously**

Alpha squad was nearing the throne room, which in actuality, Alpha squad was nothing more than Nightwing and Red Robin at this point, everyone else having fallen behind to deal with one of the many squads of guards that they had came across already.

There was just one corridor left, and Nightwing could see the double doors of the throne at the end of the hall. All that separated him from Karras was twenty or so guards, nothing compared to what the had faced already.

Red Robin looked up at his brother. "I got these guys, you go handle Karras so we can get out of here."

Nightwing nodded. "After you're done here, I want you to head back to the ship and regroup. Find out what Beta squads doing and if they've got Starfire, then contact me. I'll be joining you shortly."

Red Robin nodded before both turned their attention to the guards in front of them. Red Robin withdrew the exploding bird-a-rangs from his belt and instead of the throwing them directly at the guards, he slung them at ceiling above their heads. They made a loud beeping sound before exploding, causing the ceiling above to tumble down on top of them, clearing Nightwing's path in the process.

Nightwing gave his brother one last look before taking off into a dead sprint down the hallway. As he neared the door, he thought about Starfire screaming for him on the security video. He had let her down by not being fast enough to save her once already, he had no plans of their being a second time.

Nightwing leapt into the air, bursting through the door with fury. His eyes scanned the room finding Karras, who he quickly found standing directly in the center of the room, an army of guards behind him, not to mention the fifty or so lined up on the side walls. Out numbered? Yes. Outmatched? Never.

Karras clapped his hands as he took a few steps forward, glad that he had taken the English language from Starfire, his sole desire being to mock her chosen, who he knew would come. "Very impressive. I did not expect you to make it this far, but I regret to inform you that your effort is all for not."

Nightwing was somewhat surprised he could speak English, but that was outweighed by what he had said. "What do you mean?," the hero growled.

Karras laughed. "This rescue mission of yours is a failure. You see, my reason for capturing her was because I needed a successor, and a child out of wedlock would never be excepted on the throne, so that left me with only a few options. One, capture your chosen and impregnate her or kill her and remarry."

Nightwing's eyes widened in horror, now understand the situation fully. Starfire was either dead or had been raped, possibly both and it was all his fault. "No," he breathed, a defeated feeling coming over him.

Karras smirked, enjoying the human's pain. "Yes, you see I attempted to impregnate her, oh you should have heard her scream, heard hey cry for you, but you were not there now were you?," he taunted.

Nightwing felt sick at his stomach, but could say nothing, feeling like his heart had just been ripped out. How could this have happened? How could he have let this happen? Starfire trusted him to protect her and he failed again.

Karras only continued, letting out a fake sigh and bowing his head. "Unfortunately things did not go as I had planned. It turns out she was already pregnant by a human, my guess it would be you, no?"

Nightwing eyes looked up from the floor. Starfire was pregnant... by him? Normally he would have been delighted to hear such a thing, but he had a feeling Karras' wasn't done. "What have you done to her... to our child?," he roared.

Karras frowned at him briefly. "You humans are not the smartest bunch, are you? I suppose that is why Koriand'r is the way she is, spending her time with your kind and all. I believe her fate is rather clear, but if you need elaboration, I shall. You see, I had to dispose of her before you and your little ragtag squad could save her, so she was beheaded just moments ago right before you arrived in here in fact," Karras lied, his sole purpose being to see the Earth warrior's pain.

All the rage that Nightwing had stormed into the room with instantly evaporated and he fell to his knees, having no care or will to fight any longer. He had failed. Starfire had not only been raped, but she was dead... along with their unborn child, a child that he had wanted for so long, a child that he would never get to meet, to tuck in at night and tell him or her a bed time story, or how much he loved them and it was all because of this man... No, monster in front of him.

Yes, there was every possibility that Karras could be lying, but did it even matter? There were to many guards to fight, even with back-up and if he ended up dying, leaving Karras to walk out of here alive, he would just go after Starfire again, or if she really was dead like Nightwing was beginning to believe, he would just hurt more people. Nightwing couldn't stand for that, he just couldn't.

What he had to do was becoming clear. What hurt more than anything was that he never got to say good-bye to Starfire, didn't get to tell her he loved her before he walked into that meeting room. If he had known that he would never see her again when he walked away, he would have stayed their forever, never leaving her side, but now... it was all to late. She could be dead, their child could be dead, but even if there weren't, he knew he would never get to lay his on either ever again.

He closed his eyes and hung his head, tears falling to the floor like rain. Richard didn't sob when his parents died or when Jason was killed, but now he was, his body convulsing with each rough breath. An endless darkness surrounded him, one far more deep than when she had felt the last time because this time he knew there would be no more chance encounters between them, no more soft kisses, no more lingering touches. Either way, at least one would lose their life today.

"Hey Nightwing...," came Wally's voice through his earpiece.

"Wally..." Nightwing breathed. His best friend for so many years, a man willing to risk his life for him. They all were. Raven, Vic, Gar, Donna, the Titans, all of them going to such great lengths for him... for Starfire... Possibly all in vain. "...Everyone ...I love you. All of you. Never forget that. Abort mission. I repeate, abort mission." Nightwing cut off his earpiece and allowed himself a few more tears, reflecting on the last month and a half with the woman that had stolen his heart.

She was his angel, the woman who saved his life and he couldn't save her when she needed him. Yes, he had convinced himself that she was gone, that Karras had done just as he said he had done and beheaded her. In his broken state, he lacked the ability to reason, to think rationally, only leaving him with pure emotion to run off of.

He knew their was only one way this could end now. He had suspected it could go this way from the moment he stepped on the ship, but now it was clear. There was only one option... at least that's all he could see. That monster in front of him had raped Starfire, taken the one thing in life that had given him happiness, the one thing that made him feel alive and now it was gone. Though Nightwing wouldn't kill Karras, he didn't have to save him either.

Karras enjoyed watching the scene greatly. Something about seeing people in pain excited him, made him feel like a God, empowered him beyond belief. "Oh, do not fret, human. You shall be joining her shortly, that I assure you. You are certainly not making out of here alive," Karras motioned around the room.

Nightwing glanced around, finding he was surrounded from all directions, which was fine. He wasn't planning on trying to escape anyway. "You're right Karras. I'm not making it out of here alive..." A final choice was made. ...But neither are you." He reached into his utility belt and pulled out a small, round, metallic object around the size of a golf ball. It was basically a condensed, half-powered atomic bomb, meant for only one purpose. A last resort.

He pressed the small red button on it and tossed the bomb into the air. Time slowed down and he watched it briefly before closing his eyes and taking in one last deep breath through his noise. He remembered how Starfire used to tell him that if she were the first to pass on between them, she would be waiting for him at X'hal's gates.

He smiled. "Hope I see you soon, Star."

The bomb exploded in blazing fire, disintegrating anything and everything in the room into nothing but ash...

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**0.0... Did that just happen? It did. Hint to the next part of the story: Anyone remember 'The End' storyline in Teen Titans? Next Chapter: The Bat Family saves the day, grieving begins, and a decision is made. I'm holding out on the next chapter until were up to close to 200 reviews.**


	11. The Fallout

Chapter Eleven - The Fallout

**Great reviews last chapter. It shows I did what I was trying to do, which is make all of you hate me.**

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Friday, July 22nd 1:15 PM - Tameranian Grand Palace

3rd person POV

Out by the landing pad, Beast Boy's eyes widened as he stared at the now burning part of the building where a loud explosion had just echoed off from. "What the hell was that?," he exclaimed, his mouth agape. When Raven didn't respond he looked over at her, finding her head bowed and her face clouded by the darkness of her white cloak. Gar looked on, now concerned. "...Rae?"

Her fists clenched into balls as she fought back tears, knowing with absolute certainty what just happened. "...He's dead, Gar. Dick's dead."

Beast Boy's eyes widened and his heart stopped in his chest. "Dead? It... It can't be. Rae, you have to be making a mistake." He glanced wide-eyedly over at the burning part of the building and swallowed. Richard couldn't be dead. He just couldn't be. Gar had always viewed him as some form of untouchable figure, that couldn't be caught, couldn't be killed. It just wasn't possible.

She shook her head, still refusing to look up. "There is no mistake, Gar. His energy signature isn't here anymore... He took them all out with that explosion, himself included."

"But why would he do that? It doesn't make any sense," Gar reasoned, shaking his head in disbelief.

I... I don't know. I sensed he was distressed right before the blast. Maybe... Maybe Karras said something to agitate him and..." She paused and her eyes began to glow white, her grief involuntarily accessing the last essence of Nightwing's spiritual being, forcing her to see, hear, and feel everything he did in the last few moments of his life.

Gar watched her, not having the slightest clue what she was doing. Her glowing white eyes suddenly faded back to their normal azure pools and now her face read a mixture of shock and grief. "Rae?," Gar questioned.

"Dick thought Starfire was dead. Karras said he beheaded her, killing her... and their child in the process," Raven spoke in a whisper. She could feel Starfire's presence, she was definitely alive, and now that she was trying, she could feel the child's as well. There was no doubt that the father was Richard. It's energy was neon blue, just like his.

"He knew he couldn't escape and there were too many to fight off, so..." Raven trailed off. She really wondered if this was his plan all along. Maybe he went into this believing it was already to late or that Karras would just try again if they succeeded in freeing Starfire and returning to Earth. Maybe his intention was to take out Karras from the second they stepped onto the ship... no matter if his own life was the cost.

"Child?," Beast Boy repeated. "Starfire's pregnant?"

Raven solemnly nodded. "When Karras found out he must have planned on killing her, but we got here before he could... Unfortunately we lost someone regardless," she replied, no longer being able to hold back her tears.

Beast Boy opened his mouth to comfort her, not oblivious to the fact that he was crying himself, but before he could say anything, Cyborg's commanding voice came through the ear pieces. "I want everyone back at the ship now. We got Starfire plus her K'norfka in our possession and were in route. I repeat, report back to the ship. That's an order."

With that the transmission clicked off, but both Raven and Beast Boy knew that Cyborg was aware of the situation, evident by the fact he had now taken control over the mission. Slowly each member of the team made their way back, all seemingly clear on what had happened, what sacrifice was made, who was no longer with them, their somber faces expressing that clearly.

Cyborg and his team, being the farthest away, were the last to report, but when they came walking across the bridge everyone looked over at Starfire, who seemed to still be in the dark about the whole thing, resting against her old K'norfka's side as she excitedly and somewhat nervously anticipated seeing Nightwing.

When Starfire made it to her circle of friends, she noticed a number of odd things. Raven and Beast Boy were both in tears, Wonder Woman was attempting to comfort Red Robin, who had his forehead leaning against the ship, refusing to look at anyone, and Richard was absent from the group.

The thing that finally brought her to question what was going on, was the rough sobbing she heard from behind her. She turned around to find Wally, no longer caring to wear his mask, crying roughly into his girlfriend's shoulder, who was whispering soft words of comfort into his ear.

Starfire swallowed hard, her brain now rationalizing the situation. No... it couldn't be, could it? She turned to look at everyone, examining their faces and actions. The Titans were all looking down at the stone tiled ground, Beast Boy and Raven were having a private conversation in which he was trying to get her to open her eyes and look at him, Wally was an emotional wreck, and even Cyborg's human eye was watery, his flinched clenching at his side as he tried to restrain his emotions for the betterment of the team.

Starfire finally built up the courage to ask the question that she dreaded the answer to, the only question that mattered, the question that deep down, she already knew the answer to. "Friends... Where... Where is Nightwing?"

They all glanced at each other, as if deciding who was going to be the one to break her heart, the one to smash a wrecking ball into her world. Raven was the one who stepped up. She slowly approached her sister of so many years and took both of her hands in her own. "Starfire...," Raven began, not even knowing how to start.

She took a deep breath and looked into the now watery green eyes of the alien girl in front of her, who knew what was coming at this point. "Dick loved you very much."

Starfire tightly shut her eyes and shook he head. "No. No, it cannot be. Raven please tell me he is the okay. Please," she begged frantically, knowing it wouldn't change to cold hard truth.

Raven slowly shook her head. "Starfire... I'm so sorry. Dick... He's gone. Karras told him he killed you and he was surrounded... He did the only thing he could to make sure Karras would never hurt anyone again. He died a hero."

Hearing the words that confirmed her worst nightmare had came true, she began to sob, leaning her head on Raven's shoulder, which was the only thing keeping her from collapsing to the ground. As sad it was, she was imagining that it was Richard's shoulder she was crying on, that his was the hand stroking her back, and it was his voice in her ear telling her it was going to be okay, but none of those things were anymore than that. Just her imagination.

"Starfire...," Raven began once again. "Dick may be gone... but he left something of himself behind." She glanced down at Starfire's stomach, gently running her hand across it. "You're pregnant with his child."

This got everyone's attention, but no one dared to say a word. Starfire stared down at her stomach with wide eyes, slowly placing both of her hands to it. "Pregnant?," she breathed. "I am pregnant?... By Richard?," she questioned in disbelief, knowing Raven could tell with little effort.

The fact that Starfire needed clarification that the child was Richard's, made clear what Raven already knew. Despite how bad she felt for her, the empath nodded with a sad smile and placed her hands over Starfire's.

That must be why Karras had locked her away, because she was already impregnated. After all this time, she was finally pregnant, but why did it have to be now when she couldn't share it with the man that she loved? Why did everything always go so horribly wrong? Why would X'hal give her what she always wanted, just to tear the most important piece away in a fiery explosion?

Despite her heart being in a million shattered pieces, despite the giant hole inside of her where so much love had been, she smiled lightly. "Greetings, little one. I... I am Koriand'r, your mother."

Wally, being the first to acknowledge the news, walked over and dropped to his knees in front of her, resting his forehead against her stomach, still crying heavily as everyone was beginning to do. "Hey, little guy... or girl. I'm your God father. You can call me Uncle Wally." Wally let a sad laugh escape him. "Your dad had other names for me, but I'll tell you all of those things when you get a little older and mom isn't around..."

Wally closed his eyes as he reflected on his fond memories of Richard. "He was my best friend. You would have loved him. He was really a great man. One day your mommy and I'll tell you all about him, I promise you that."

Starfire smiled sadly through her raining eyes. She knew her child would never have a father, but he would have an entire Watch Tower full of aunts and uncles to spoil him or her, Wally being one of them, probably the one who gives him or her way to much junk food, despite Starfire's orders not to.

Donna was at her side next, leaving Tim to break-down, now that he was finally alone and no longer had to be strong. The Amazon placed her hand on Starfire's shoulder, while Wally was still having an entire conversation with the unborn child about how great a man it's dad was. "Dick would be so happy," she assured.

Starfire nodded. "I know..." She glanced down at the ground. "It just hurts so much."

Donna gave her a teary-eyed smiled and leaned her forehead against Starfire's temple. "It'll get better with time."

She shook her head, tears falling into Wally's hair as she did. The sad fact was that it would never get better, it would become far worse if anything. "No, it shall not, not without him. An aspect of eternal love is eternal heartbreak if a partner is lost. I shall never be able to fly again, never be able to move on, never be able to let go..." She glanced down at her stomach. "At least I have a part of him and therefore some joy, a reason to not follow him into the afterlife."

Before Donna could attempt to comfort her, a stampede of footsteps could be heard from behind them and they all turned to see an army of guards standing there, their spear like weapons already drawn.

Everyone instinctively put themselves in front of Starfire, but before Cyborg could so much as utter an order, Red Robin released a battle cry from his place by the ship and carelessly charged at the guards like a bull seeing red.

He threw exploding disks at their feet causing them to become off balance before attacking them with a fury none of his Titan's teammates had ever seen out of him. His movements were swift, yet powerful, just like his older brother's had been. He disarmed one guard before sweeping his legs out from under him with his own weapon, then quickly releasing his anger on the next, holding each one personally responsible for his brother's death.

However, due to his rage, he wasn't thinking clearly and made a mistake by turning his back to a still armed guard. The Tameranian warrior raised his spear, his attention being to thrust it through the teen's back with great force.

"Tim!," Static screamed in warning, but before he could react and electrocute the guard, there was a missile fired from somewhere up above, exploding into the wall directly behind the guards, knocking them all forward and saving Red Robin in the process. The entire group looked up to find the Bat Plane zipping toward them with a swish, before coming to a landing right next to their ship.

Of course Batman had come to save the day. The very moment Nightwing and his team departed from the Watch Tower, Superman had contacted Bruce and filled him on the recent happenings, from the Watch Tower being attacked, to Starfire being captured, to Nightwing leading a mission to go after her. When Bruce heard who went on said mission, three retired heroes and a bunch of relatively new ones, who had never experienced an 'all hell breaking loose' scenario, he did the only thing he could. Gather up the remainder of the Bat Family and put on the cowl one final time, all in the hopes of saving a mission that was failed from the beginning.

The hatch opened and Oracle, Robin, Batgirl, and finally the original Dark Knight himself jumped out, causing everyone to trade worried glances, knowing that the cruel reality of the situation was about to dawn on them..

"Tim!," Batgirl called, earning her boyfriend's attention. Red Robin quickly made his way over to her and wrapped her in his arms before crying into her shoulder. "...Tim?," she questioned, worriedly. She had never seen Tim be reckless or cry. This was two firsts in one day. What happened to draw this out of him?

Batman looked down at his son before over to the rest of the group, noticing each had tears in their eyes and one was missing, the one who meant more than anything to him. He then took notice of the burning part of the building and that's when he put all the pieces together. "No," he breathed.

"Batman, what's wrong?," Oracle asked before examining the scene herself. Due to her years of training, it didn't take more than a few seconds for her to figure things out for herself. Her defensive stance instantly fell and she hit her knees with a startled breath, all the will to stand having been sucked out of her. "No, it can't be. Not him. Not him," she begged as tears began to fall from her eyes.

Robin and Batgirl both still lacked the experience to deduce the situation, so both were utterly confused. "What's going on? Why is everyone crying?" Robin asked his father, who now had his eyes closed beneath his cowl, desperately trying to keep his emotions under control.

"Dick's gone, Damian. He's dead." He fell silent for a moment before punching the side of the Bat Plane with all the force he could muster. "Damn it!," he yelled. "We're to late!"

Starfire and Raven traded glances before slowly approaching them. Starfire took Batman's hand from where it rested against the side of the Bat Plane. "K'norfka Bruce, your son gave his life to make sure I was safe, to make sure Karras would never hurt anyone again and I understand that all the blame should be placed on me, but he left apart of himself behind and I do hope that you will not shun your grandchild."

"Grandchild?," Batman questioned, finally looking up from where he blankly stared at the ground. "Your pregnant? Why didn't I know about this?"

"She didn't know," Raven interjected. "I just sensed the energy of the child recently."

Bruce looked down to the alien girl's stomach, where she was rubbing one hand across it. It was the last bit of joy she had in her life, the only thing that could even give her a sense of happiness, and Bruce knew that. As much as he wanted to blame all of this on her, as badly as he wanted to scream that it was because of her that his son was dead, he just couldn't. He would have given his life for Selina without any hesitation on the matter, so he understood why Dick did what he did.

After watching the security video and doing some research on Tameranian politics, he understood why Karras captured her. He needed a child and he couldn't just have one with another woman, not if he wanted his family to remain in power for generations to come. His only options were to either impregnate Starfire or kill her so that he could remarry and produce a successor.

Now with the information of Starfire already being pregnant available, he could see what else happened clear as day. Karras locked her away until after the invasion and Nightwing would have followed his training and divided their team into three squads, each with their own objective to achieve. One squad would guard the ship, another would retrieve Starfire, and the final squad, Nightwing's squad, would go straight for Karras.

They would have faced a lot of opposition on their way there and would have left team members to defend off guards, eventually leaving only Nightwing to deal with Karras. He would have been greatly out numbered and Karras would have no doubt taunted him, believing his victory was assured.

Death being certain regardless, Nightwing would have made sure Karras would never hurt anyone else, exactly what he should have done, exactly what Batman himself would have done.

Batman slowly crouched down on one knee and placed his hand on top of her stomach as if trying to connect with the last bit of his oldest son. No, Richard wasn't blood, but neither were Tim, Alfred, or Babs and they were all no doubt his family, but Richard... He was truly the one thing that Bruce loved more than Selina, more than anything. Richard was his pride and joy, his hand-pick prodigy, one of the very few things that Bruce truly cherished.

He allowed himself to shed a single tear of remembrance, more sure to come when he was alone. "I will love this child as if it were my own, that I promise you. It will always be taken care of and have nothing but the best."

Starfire allowed Bruce to return to his feet before hugging him, which usually would have resulted in him awkwardly patting her on the back, but not this time. No, this time he gave her a full hug, pulling her in tightly to him. He never doubted that she loved his son and he knew that she was going through emotional hell at the moment, as were Wally, Babs, and Tim, three people who closer than family to him. There was a lot of mourning yet to be done and many tears left to be shed, that was certain.

There attention was captured when the injured guards managed to stand to their feet, but before anyone on either side could react, a voice from above the battle ground echoed off. _"Stop this nonsense" _Everyone looked up to see a man in a royal purple robe with gold trimming standing on an outreaching balcony, looking down at the conflict below.

Starfire recognized the man as Niro, the chairman of the High Council. He was a peaceful man and she knew he probably had advised Karras against coming to Earth, so she raised her hand, instructing her comrades to not attack.

_"We have confirmed Karras is dead and therefore I am the acting ruler of Tameran until a new Grand Ruler is selected. I order all guards back to their post and give the Earthlings permission to leave along with Koriand'r and Galfore of Tameran if they chose to go."_ He nodded respectfully at Starfire and with that said, he walked away, obviously having many other issues to deal with at the moment.

The guards all glanced at each other before following the orders of the temporary Grand Ruler and limping back to wherever they should be. Batman looked down at Starfire. "What did he say?"

"We are allowed to leave. The battle is over," she explained. The battle was indeed over, but the cost was far to high for her, for everyone.

She had lost her boyfriend, best friend, and father of her newly discovered child. Wally had lost what could only be described as the other half of history's greatest bromance. Babs lost her first love. Tim, Helina, and the now crying Damian, their older brother. Bruce his son. Raven, Gar, Vic, Donna, and Jinx, a great friend. And the Titans, a man that was legendary to them and held their highest respects. Yes, the cost was far to high.

As the ship and the Bat Plane were loaded, some people such as Babs and Damian even having to be helped on due to their broken states, a still crying Starfire approached her K'norfka. _"Shall you be going with us?,"_ she questioned as he used his thumb to wipe away the tears from her eyes.

_"No, I am afraid not, little one. My place is here on Tameran, just as yours is on Earth."_ A light smile crossed his face as he lightly ran his down her stomach. _"Your chosen was a great man, Koriand'r."_

She closed her eyes briefly, reflecting on just how true those words were. He was a great man, the greatest she had ever met. Others could say he gave up his life to make sure no one else would ever be hurt by Karras, or that it was his last resort, death being certain regardless, but she knew neither of those things were true.

If Nightwing wanted out of that room, he could have escaped with relative ease, despite the great numbers against him. He had given his life because he thought she was dead and couldn't imagine living in a world without her, not again. He sacrificed himself in the hope that there was an afterlife to meet her in.

A very small piece of her was happy that he would go to such lengths for her, but the overwhelming majority of her emotions were grief, depression, emotional agony, and complete and utter heartbreak. "I know," was all she could say before turning and boarding the ship.

Saturday, July 23rd 12:00 PM - Deep Space

3rd person POV

The darkness in the room could not compare to the overwhelming darkness in her heart. She had been locked away in her room since boarding the ship, refusing to come out for any reason, no matter who knocked on the door, no matter what they wanted, stating only that she needed to be alone. She knew they were just trying to help her, but nothing short of Richard walking through that cold steel door could possibly put the pieces of her heart back together.

Something about the ship taking off made it hit her. Richard, the love of her life, was gone... Dead, and it was entirely her fault. If she had never returned to Earth, she would have never seen him again and therefore none of this would have ever happened. No, they wouldn't have ever gotten back together, never shared another magical kiss or a gentle touch, but at least he would still be alive. So yes, this was entirely her fault and it was eating her alive.

The only thing that was stopping her from making this a Romeo and Juliet story and taking her own life, so that she could be with him for all eternity, was the growing fetus inside of her. The last remaining part of her lost love.

She smiled through her teary-eyes as she stoked her stomach from where she laid on the bed. "You are all momma has now. I have wanted you for so long and I am sure Richard would have been delighted to hear the news." she let out a sad laugh. "I always imagined that I would make him a big dinner the night that I told him that I was having his child, but I do not have that option anymore."

Her face sombered greatly and a few rough sobs escaped her. "He would have loved you so much. I am certain he would have taken you to work with him and to the park after. I can just see him bouncing you on his lap as he worked on his laptop, probably telling you to not touch things like he did me. We would have taken picnics is the park and held hands, while we walked you through the trails."

Her tears began to come harder. "He would have been very protective over you, that is one thing that I loved the most about him. I am sure you would have drove him crazy by the time you were a teenager, especially if you are a girl." She laughed. "You would have never been able to do the dating. He would have did the interrogating of your boyfriends, possibly even going under cover to follow you the movies. He was most sneaky, you would have never seen him."

Her light smile once again fell. "It hurts me deeply to know that you will never meet your daddy, but he was a wonderful man, a hero. With your father's blood in you, I have no doubt you will be one as well. I shall tell you that you cannot because it is to dangerous, but you will not listen because with your father's blood comes his stubbornness. I loved that about him as well... I loved everything about him. His smile, his voice, the way he cuddled with me at night, his eyes, absolutely everything."

She closed her eyes and sighed. "It is time to sleep, my love. Goodnight... Nightstar."

Monday, July 24 12:00 AM - Deep Space

3rd person POV

Vic and Raven sat at the table of the common room, most everyone else locked away in their sleeping quarters, most of whom still unable to function fully. Though everyone was hurting, four people were affected more than anyone by the loss suffered on Tameran.

Starfire had yet to appear from her room. She wouldn't allow anyone in, but you could hear hard almost constant sobbing if you placed you ear to the door. Raven even said that their wasn't a word in the English language strong enough to describe the grief she was feeling. The only thing even giving her the will to live was the baby inside of her. The only thing left of one of Earth's greatest heroes.

Wally was hurricane of emotions. One second he would be joking about something, trying desperately to cope with the loss of his best friend, but suddenly a memory would play through his mind, a moment of brotherhood shared between them, and it once again caused him to breakdown into tears. Jinx was trying desperately to comfort him, but what could she do? Tell him it was okay? It wasn't okay. He had just lost a man who was closer to him than his brother. As Wally himself put it, they were soul mates.

Like Starfire, Tim hadn't be seen since boarding. Occasionally they would hear crying or a fist being thrusted against the wall, but other than that, he was just a ghost.

Babs had yet to get control of herself on the Bat Plane. Richard was her best friend and when she saw him go through that rough patch after Starfire left, it tore her apart, but upon her return, he slowly returned to his old self. They would meet for coffee a few days a week and talk, laugh, enjoy each other's company, just like things used to be. He was indeed back, only to be ripped from existence soon after.

Vic somberly glanced over to the couch where Wally was in the middle of another one of his breakdowns, crying into Jinx's shoulder as she ran her hands through his red hair. He sighed a looked down at the table briefly before looking over at Raven. "What are we going to do? Wally is going to drowned in his own tears before we make it back and Starfire... well, I can't even imagine what she is going through."

Raven glanced in the direction of Starfire's door. She was asleep for a moment, having cried herself out. Raven was fully aware of what had happened to her on Tameran, but she didn't even seem to care about that anymore, not since the other tragedy that had taken place their. Raven was an emotionally strong person, but even she didn't know if she could deal with being raped, losing the love of her life, and then finding out she was pregnant by said love all within the span of a few days. It was just to much to fathom. "I don't know," Raven replied with a light shake of her head.

Vic bowed his head for a moment, thinking about a number of things rapidly, but then something occurred to him, something that he couldn't believe he hadn't thought of already. "Raven, you were dead at one point. When you became Trigon's portal and Robin came to bring you back. Why can't we do that?"

She seemed thoughtful for a moment before shrugging. "We don't even know what we'd be looking for. For all we know, his spirit could have reverted back to Robin like my turned back into a child. He could even be separated into many different parts of his spiritual self. I can't possibly know. Besides, who would go after him? Hell's ten times worse than Tameran could ever be. There's no guarantee that whoever went down there would come back with or with Dick."

"I have no doubt that anyone aboard this ship would risk their lives for him. I know the odds may not be on our side, but then again, they never are. I say we all meet at the Tower and we'll discuss the possibility of it as a group," Vic urged.

Raven poked her lips out in thought before a slow smile spread across her face. "You're in charge of this mission now and the mission isn't over until..." she trailed off, waiting for him to finish.

"Until everyone's home safe," he concluded with a beaming smile before quickly making his way over to holographic transmissions screen. "Titans to Batman, come in," he said over the communication system.

"Batman reporting," came Bruce's voice.

"Change of plans. We're meeting back at Titan's west tower. We have a plan," Vic informed with a grin.

"Plan?," Batman questioned sounding almost hopeful, the prospect of his son being saved enticing what little energy he had left after back to back sleepless nights full of remembrance. "What plan?"

"We're going to hell."

* * *

**The scene with Wally on his knees got me. Next Chapter: A meeting at the tower, a decision is made, more of Starfire's thought process. Also, who do you guys want to see go after Dick? I have an idea, but I want to see everyone's opinion on the matter. Make sure to review.**


	12. Hope

Chapter Twelve - Hope

Tuesday, July 24th 10:00 PM - Deep Space

Starfire's POV

The warm water of my bathroom shower runs down my back as I sit in the floor of said shower, my knees up to my chest and my face buried in my hands. The water of the shower mixes with the raining tears from my eyes as they drip off of me, splashing insignificantly to the floor.

Every sob feels like a spear through my chest, every memory of him, a dagger through my heart. I wish he was here. I wish he would wrap his arms around me and tell me everything was going to be okay. I would settle for one more kiss, one more touch, one more breathless assurance that he would be waiting for me at X'hal's gate. Just hearing him say that he loved me once more would give me the strength to do this, to live on, but I know one more is to much to ask for.

"Why did you leave me? Why did you go? Could you not see, could you not feel that I was alive? That I needed you? That I still need you?" I pause allowing myself a few rough sobs. "I love you so much. You shall never truly know how much you mean to me and I cannot even begin to express it."

More sobs come, my entire body shaking with each one. In a last, desperate resort, I bow my head and pray. "X'hal please, if you can hear me, I do not ask for much, but please, return Richard to me. He is so much more than just my chosen. When I first came to this planet it was he who took care of me, it was he who became my best friend, he who comforted me when the mares of night came, he who I fell so deeply in love with. He is everything to me, absolutely everything."

"I know you must be busy and have many more things to worry about than a lost love of a single Tameranian, but... if you can just give him back, even for only a moment, so that I may tell him good-bye and that I love him, then that would be acceptable. Just give me one more chance, one more moment with him, so that I know he is the okay," I beg, hoping, praying that my pleas are not falling on deaf ears, and that somewhere, X'hal or any other spiritual entity is listening and will give me the only thing that I truly desire, Richard, if only for a moment.

Tuesday, July 24th 10:00 PM - Deep Space

Wally's POV

You know, it's odd how things work out. One second the world is spinning and everything is okay, but then the next second comes, the world stops, your best friend, a man who you'd give your life for without hesitation, is gone, taken away from you by a fiery explosion, leaving you in tears.

I know, men aren't supposed to cry, aren't supposed to show how they feel, especially not superheroes. No, we're supposed to be the very definition of strength, emotional and physical, but I don't expect anyone to understand, anyone to know what I'm going through. I've known the guy since I was eleven. We met not long after the Justice league formed and clicked instantly.

We used to piss speedy off, always pulling pranks on him and all. It was just us three back then, me, him, and Roy. Uncle Barry called us the three musketeers and it actually felt like that. We did everything together. Though Dick was the youngest of us, he obviously took the leadership roll. It's just who he was, a born leader, able to think under pressure and always put the team first.

Putting the team first actually resulted in him friend zoning the love of his life for an entire two years. I used to tease him so much about him and Starfire, and of course at first he would dismiss it and say they were only friends, but I knew, everyone knew. Just by the look in their eyes when they traded glances, you could tell they were meant for each other.

I always found it hilarious how he would deny he had a crush on her, but Starfire was so upfront about her feelings for him. When we would hang out together, you know, go to the mall or something, she would actually growl at any girl who tried to talk to him and I don't mean quietly.

They changed so much since then. I mean, after Tokyo they became inseparable, always together, always holding hands, always touching. I swear, we called him Romeo for a year straight. He frowned, but I think he really liked it. Then there was that New Years' party where Roy got a little to touchy-feely with Starfire when they were dancing and Nightwing went off, ended up kicking Roy's ass. I haven't seen a lot of Roy in the last five years or so, but that's a story for another day I suppose.

Years later, here we are. Starfire's pregnant with Dick's kid, just like I always knew she would one day be. The only problem is that Dick isn't here anymore. This isn't how things are supposed to be, this isn't how life was supposed to go. The saying 'everything happens for a reason' is total bullshit. There's no reason for this, none at all. He didn't deserve to die and if it's true that this is all apart of some grand design by a God who is watching over us, then I don't want anything to do with that God. He took my best friend from me, so he can go fuck himself.

Am I angry? Damn right I'm angry. Just another stage of loss.

I feel Jinx's arms wrap around me and feel her head rest on my shoulder. "Baby, come to bed," she pleas

I turn slightly from where I sit on the foot of our bed, so that I can see her eyes. "Nah, I just need to think a little more."

She gives me a sympathetic look and runs one of her hands through my hair. "You barely have said anything all day and I know you're hurting, I'm hurting too, but beating yourself up about this isn't going to bring him back. He went out a hero, he did exactly what he should have done."

I rocket to my feet and slice my hands through the air. "No, he should have called for back-up! I could have been there in five seconds, I could have saved him!"

She stands up and places one of her hands on each of my shoulders, her eyes now stern. "No, you couldn't have Wally. If you were there, he may not have set off the bomb, but you two wouldn't have had a chance. There were to many. You both would have died in vain."

My eyes begin to water, knowing everything she is saying is right. "He's my best friend. It... it hurts so much. He didn't do anything to deserve this, Starfire didn't deserve to have him ripped away from her, his kid didn't do anything to deserve not having father."

"I know, baby," she whispers into my ear as I lay my head on her shoulder. "I know."

Tuesday, July 24th 10:00 PM - Deep Space

Raven's POV

I levitate above me and my husband's bed, trying to calm my emotions, which are a little of everywhere at this point. Gar is in the common room with Vic, giving me some time to myself. He understands that I need it right now. Starfire, my best friend, has just suffered a terrible tragedy, while Dick, a man who I consider my brother, just died in an unthinkable way, leaving everyone in shambles.

Though things look incredibly bleak right now, hope isn't lost. Not yet. Not completely. Vic is right, there is a very slim chance to save him, but it won't be easy. We can't just send anyone after him. Whoever goes is going to have to have a strong emotional connection with him, which limits are options greatly. Myself and Starfire are instantly ruled out. She's pregnant and therefore would be risking not only her life, but the life of her child and I can't go because if Trigon got his hands on me, then things would not be good to say the least.

We're really only left with a few options. Wally, of course being his best friend, is the first person that comes to my mind, but Bruce, Babs, and Tim could also be capable candidates, but getting someone there is relatively easy compared to what comes next. It would be impossible to know what we're looking for before heading in. Though hell, as it's known on Earth, can be accessed through the physical world, it's a spiritual place, just like Heaven or the realm of X'hal are, meaning that laws of the physical world don't apply any longer. Literally anything could happen.

The only people who even know of this plan are Vic, Gar, Bruce, and myself. We decided it would be best to keep things quite until we arrived at the tower and discussed this with everyone. I'm going to inform Starfire about it tomorrow. She deserves to know. Besides, I don't think it would be a good idea to hit her with in a room full of crowded people. Her emotions are to unpredictable right now.

I'm not sure how she is going to react to it, but time will tell. I fear that I'm going to get her hopes and if the plan fails, it will be like losing him all over again. Starfire has the thickest skin of anyone I have ever met, but I don't think even she could take losing him twice in a row. She's reaching her breaking point as it is and I don't think she can take much more... I know I can't.

To be honest, when I first met Robin, I may have had the slightest of crushes on him, but I knew he was Starfire's from the moment she kissed him. It was hard to not like him, he was the only one I could really talk to for my first year in the tower, and then he risks his life by journeying into the depths of hell for the lone purpose of saving me, so yeah he was kind of hot to me at the time, but as time passed, I saw him as more of a brother, especially when Gar started to mature, which took it's time, but it was obviously worth the wait.

I guess my point is that losing him is like losing family. We were so close for so many years and after Starfire returned, we were really starting to build our bond again, but all that got flushed down the proverbial toilet in the blink of an eye.

...I miss him. I miss that cocky smirk, the way he takes an hour to do his hair, how dedicated he is, his loyalty to his friends, and the fact that he was willing to risk his life, give everything up, for his star. He was one of the greatest people I have had the pleasure of knowing, so yeah I'm going to cry, I'm going mourn, I'm going to reflect, and once again, I'm going to miss him.

Tears begin to fall from my eyes and I lose my concentration, falling onto the bed and burying my face in a pillow, no longer caring about being strong. Sometimes allowing yourself to be weak, if only for a moment, is a true sign of inner strength.

Tuesday, 24th 1:00 PM - Deep Space

Bruce' POV

I sit in the cockpit of the Bat Plane, looking down at a picture of Dick, Tim, Damian, Helina, Selina, Alfred, and I, mainly focusing my attention on my oldest son. Regret is the main thing that I'm feeling at this point. I just feel as if I could have been so much more of a father to him, could have treated him so much better, could have just been so much more, but now it's to late.

I never even told him I loved him, not once. Did he even know? Did he know that he was pride? My joy? I adopted him when he was nine and at first, he was just a kid living in my house that I felt empathy for, but then are relationship slowly evolved. I became his mentor and that's all we were for so many years, not to say that I didn't grow to care about him during that time. When he was eighteen, he made the move to Nightwing and became my equal and then when Starfire left and he went into depression, desperately needing a father, something I had never really been, I finally woke up and realized that he needed me, that I needed him.

He was no longer my adopted ward. No, he became my son, regardless of blood, regardless of last names. He was and forever will my first born child and I let him down. I made so many mistakes in my life, but not telling him that I loved him every time we spoke is one that I will never be able to get over, never be able to overcome or put behind me.

I still have a faint bit of hope that this plan of his friends will work and if it does, if they can bring him back, I'll make sure that I tell what I should have told him a long time ago.

"I love you, my son."

Wednesday, July 25th 6:00 PM - Deep Space

3rd Person POV

Raven stood in front of Starfire's door, trying to figure out a way to convince her to let her in. Thanks to running the thrusters at full power for the entire journey back, they would be arriving on Earth tomorrow, which meant one thing. It was time to talk with Starfire about her and Vic's plan to send someone to hell after an essence of Richard's spirit. Raven being the only one Starfire might possibly let in, was the obvious answer to who would inform her of it, but getting an audience with the brokenhearted alien was a task easier said than done.

She still had yet to emerge from her room, all meals having to be left at her door. Sometimes they would vanish inside, other times they would just sit there, going untouched. Raven knew what she was going through, she was having a hard time not feeling every bit of it. Wally was inconsolable at this point, Tim could blow up at any second, everyone was hurting, but Starfire? What Starfire was going through just couldn't be described with any type of words.

To much had happened to her to quickly. The horror that Karras inflicted on her, followed by loosing the love of her life, it was a life times worth of pain. For anyone losing your mate is beyond tragic, but for a Tameranian, it was like loosing a limb. He was apart of her, engrained into her very soul. He was her smile, the brightness in her eyes, the reason she loved waking up in the morning. Since the reunion, Starfire had been happier than Raven could ever remember, but to have that ripped away from her so swiftly, so thoroughly, it was a fate worse than death.

Raven hesitantly knocked on the door before awaiting a response. She was able to hear a few sniffles, signaling Starfire was still crying, which was really no surprise. "Go away please. I am not hungry, I do not wish to engage in conversation, and I do not require assistance of any kind," came Starfire's uneven voice from behind to door.

Raven sighed. "Starfire, it's me. I know you don't want to see anyone right now, but we have something that needs to be discussed before we get back to the tower."

"There is nothing that requires my input. Now please, I wish to be left alone until we arrive on Earth," she returned in almost a pleading tone. She knew she would eventually have to face the world, but she had decided that she was going to put that off as long as possible. She didn't want to hear people ask her how she was doing or tell her it was going to be okay. She had just lost a man she loved more than a human could ever even begin to comprehend, only to find out that she was pregnant with his child shortly there after, a child that would never get to meet their dad, never get to share a birthday or a Christmas with him, never get to be tucked in and read a bed time story by him at night, while she watched with a smile from the doorway. How did they think she was doing?

"Either you let me in or I phase through the door. Either way, we're having a conversation," she retorted definitely.

There was a momentary pause before Raven heard the door unlock, followed by the sound of Starfire retreating back to her bed. Raven opened the door and walked inside, and what she found didn't surprise her, but it hurt her no less. Starfire was a wreck and that was putting it nicely. Her hair looked like it had been hit by a hurricane and her eyes were extremely bloodshot, no doubt from the constant crying and lack of sleep. Her skin was never pale, but it definitely had lost some of it's shine and her normally bright features were completely gone, replaced by an expression that could only be described as endless, unrelenting depression.

Raven, realizing she was starring, shook her head before offering her a sad smile and walking over to the bed to sit beside her, gently placing her hand over Starfire's. "I would ask how you were doing, but that would be a pointless question, wouldn't it?"

Starfire wiped her eyes, using the edge of one of her blankets before focusing on Raven. "Yes, it would. Now please, what do you require of me?"

It did come out as rude, but Raven understood what she was going through, so she made no comment on it. "I need to talk to you about something, but you have to promise that you won't overreact to whatever I say." Raven had decided she was going to be straight up with her, that way she could assure that Starfire wouldn't get her hopes up to high."

Starfire raised one of her small eyebrows. "What are you speaking of?"

Raven glanced away briefly pondering how to begin before turning her eyes back to her friend. "A few days ago, me and Vic were talking and we agree... There may be a way to save Dick."

Starfire's eyes suddenly became as wide as saucers as she tried to comprehend the words Raven just said, even playing them over and over again in her mind, just to make sure she heard them correctly. Once she made sure she indeed had, a small flicker of joy came to life within her, which quickly burst into a blazing fire that spread rapidly through her body. "How?!," she shouted desperately, her hands now squeezing all the blood out of Raven's shoulders.

Raven carefully removed Starfire's shaking hands before her shoulders were crushed. "Relax, I said to not overreact."

Starfire took a deep breath, but her eyes remained impossibly wide and her entire body was still shaking. "Please Raven, I must know this plan. If there is a way to save my chosen, then I am willing to go to any lengths to accomplish this," Starfire spoke quickly, Raven having to replay it in her head a couple of times to actually understand her.

"Don't get your hopes up," she eased. "The odds of this working are very low, but it's worth a shot. You remember when Robin went to hell to save me, right?"

"Yes, quite clearly. I..." Starfire paused, realization washing over. "We are going to hell?... Richard is in hell?!," she blurted. "No, it cannot be." Starfire refused to believe it. He was supposed to be waiting for her at X'hal's gates, not burning in some pit of fire.

Raven raised her hands to calm Starfire. "Yes, a part of his spiritual self is there, but so is everybody's. We all have a dark side, anger, fears, regrets, inner demons." She motioned to herself. "Some of us are demons and we don't have a choice, but to end up there when it's all said and done. Parts of him could very well be in heaven or at X'hal's gate, but there is some bit of him in hell and all I need is apart of him to bring him back."

"Then I shall go retrieve him, and you shall bring him back, and we shall have our child, and get married, and be a happy family," Starfire spoke with new-found hope, sounding very rational to her own self, but exhibited what Raven would describe as child like enthusiasm to down right naivety.

"Star, it's not that easy and you nor I can go," Raven began.

"Yes Raven, I must!," Starfire insisted in a teary-eyed yell. "It is because of me he risked his life, that he is gone. I have to do the same for him, I have to save him. I need him Raven, just as I need water, sun light, or food. If there is truly a way, then I have to try, I will give up anything to have him back, anything. He is my world and no one can stop me from going!"

Raven sighed and looked down at her stomach, finding Starfire instinctively rubbing a hand over it. "No, we can't stop you, but we shouldn't have to. Whoever goes has no guarantee that they'll come back and you have more than just yourself to worry about."

Starfire glanced down at her stomach and bit down on her bottom lip, knowing she was right as usual. Raven was probably the only one on the ship who was even thinking anywhere near rationally at this point. "But if it is not me to go, then who shall? Who is going to bring him back to me?"

"We're going to discuss all of that as a group when we get back to the tower. Whoever it is has to have a strong emotional connection with him. The more his spirit resists us, the harder hell itself will make it on whoever goes after him. We're really only down to four candidates, Bruce, Babs, Tim and Wally. They're the only ones who can do this, since both you and I are ruled out."

Starfire thought over the options for a moment. You could never go wrong with Batman, because after all, he's Batman, which was an official synonym for badass. Babs was great, but she wasn't to high on him being saved by another woman. She had seen to many movies where one protagonist saved the other from certain death and a kiss was shared at the end. That wasn't happening. Tim didn't seem to stable the last time she saw him and Richard always told her that losing your cool in battle was the quickest way to die. The last thing anyone needed was another casualty. Wally was a safe choice. He would do anything for Richard just as she would.

Starfire nodded, a slight smile crossing her face. For the first time in days, she felt a spark of hope inside of her, nothing more than a faint light in the distance, but it was something, something to keep her going just a little longer. Hope was all she had.

Thursday, July 26th 10:00 AM - Solar System

Cyborg stood at the ship's controls, watching from the thick windows as Pluto passed by. They were finally in their own star system and would be entering Earth's atmosphere in around two hours. He was glad to be back, but it just felt wrong returning without Nightwing, his friend and leader for years now.

At the thought of him, Vic's fist slightly clenched at his side. Damn, he missed him, everyone did. Some were just more open about their emotions than others. Wally, Gar, and Starfire didn't give a damn about crying in front of anyone and everyone, but the rest of the group was a little more reclusive about when they showed emotion, preferring to be alone.

Cyborg seemed to be handling the loss of his friend rather well, but that was just his exterior. On the inside, he was shambles, just as he knew everyone was. He really felt bad for Starfire in particular. Although no one outside of Raven knew what happened to her on Tameran, that didn't matter. She had just lost a man that she had been in love since she was fifteen. He once thought it was just puppy love between them, but the truth was, they were soul mates, destined to be together since birth.

He was so happy when they got back together. Everyone was really. Starfire smiled a little brighter than normal and she had that extra bounce in her step and Richard seemed to be back to his old self, hanging out with the guys, with Babs, going to events on occasion. Things were going so well, then this had to happen. It made no sense, not to him anyway. Why would life make everything so well, just to once again tear it apart? No, it certainly made no sense.

All he could do was hope. That's all anyone could do at this point.

His attention was grabbed when the hologram screen in front of him flashed on. _"Incoming transmission from Earth,"_ the feminine robotic voice informed.

Cyborg raised an eyebrow, wondering who it could be, but didn't waste any time thinking it over. "Accept transmission."

The next thing he knew, Bee's face appeared on the screen, an army of heroes and former heroes behind her, everyone from the entire Justice League, to ex-heroes such as Argent, Hotspot, Pantha, Tempest, and even an ex-villain like Cheshire, who happened to be the sister of Artemis and the mother of Roy Harper's child, so she was fairly familiar with the team.

It wouldn't even be difficult to believe that somewhere is a dark warehouse that Deathstroke himself was watching via spy cam, after all, like Batman, Deathstroke knew everything and he really couldn't be classified as a villain. Criminal? Absolutely. Villain? Depends on perception.

"Baby, you're okay!," Bee exclaimed breathlessly, earning odd looks from some of the people behind her, but she couldn't care any less. The moment she found out that not only had Starfire been captured, but Cyborg along with a small force of Titans, a few retired heroes, and three other Justice League members went after her, she had been going crazy with worry for the man she loved and her friends.

Though she had only been aware of the mission for a couple of days, she managed to gather up a large force of ex-Titans, which curiously didn't include her husband, and get to the Watch Tower via the Zeta tubes at Titans east's tower, her plan being to attempt to contact them and if that didn't work she was coming out of retirement to unleash hell of Tameran like it had never been unleashed before.

Cyborg rubbed the back of his head as he examined the scene in front of him. Normally he would have smiled at her for openly displaying her affection, but he just didn't have it in him, not now anyway. He knew he had some news to deliver that would hurt everyone in that room, if only a little. "Yeah, I suppose. What's going on there behind you?," he motioned to all the people.

"We were coming after y'all. I can't believe you ran off to another planet without me. Is everyone okay? Is Star safe?," Bee questioned rapidly. Vic looked down at the ground for a long moment, which made everyone looking on very uneasy. Something was clearly wrong. "...Vic?," she said hesitantly, her features sombering and her heart beginning to beat a little faster in her chest.

"...We retrieved Starfire, but... not everyone who went is coming back."

Bee's mouth fell slightly open and as did everyone behind her, mentors already worrying that their protégé had been the one to fall. "...Who?," Bee asked breathlessly.

"Nightwing... he's gone. He sacrificed himself in an explosion that took out most of their forces, Karras included," Cyborg replied, his voice being a far cry from it's usual booming loudness.

Their was a brief moment of silence from the other end, everyone trading wide-eyed glances, that demonstrated their shock and disbelief. Nightwing couldn't be gone. It just wasn't possible. He was untouchable, a God among men to the younger heroes. Zatanna was the one who broke the silence. "No... he can't be gone," she exclaimed, rushing up to Bee's side.

"Zee, I'm sorry, but... he's dead," he said, nearly chocking on the words. When Zatanna burst into tears, Dr. Fate stepped up to lead her off screen, the father inside of him coming out. Zatanna and Richard had been friends for over ten years, so her reaction was understandable.

Superman looked around the room, finding everyone completely speechless. Though Richard only associated with a few members of the Justice League outside of missions and the rest were just his father's friends to him, they all had known him since he was a child and had the highest level of respect for him, so it was clear that they were in pain to hear such news.

Swallowing hard, the new leader of the Justice League stepped up. "How's Bruce?"

"Don't really know, but I guess he is doing as well as can be expected after losing your first son," Cyborg responded before taking control of the situation. Superman may now be at the head of the Justice League, but this was still his mission to lead and the mission wasn't over. "I want everyone's attention. We will be arriving at the Titans west's tower in approximately two hours. From there we're going to commence a plan that will be a last ditch effort to save Nightwing. If anyone cares to show up, you'll be briefed on the full situation then."

He glanced at a teary-eyed Bee and gave the closest thing he could to a smile and mouthed 'I love you'. There would be time for his own personal issues later. He had a friend to save and a mission to lead. "Cyborg out."

Thursday, July 26th 12:00 PM - Titan's Tower

3rd person POV

The Justice League ship landed on the roof of the tower, followed shortly by the Bat Plane, each member of the prospective ships knowing what was coming when they unloaded. Cyborg had informed everyone shortly before landing that a briefing was scheduled to take place upon their arrival at the tower. Most assumed that it was just to summarize the mission and say a final good-bye to Nightwing, so they didn't question it. Cyborg wouldn't have given them any further details anyway.

When the heroes exited their ships, no one was overly surprised to find every single member of the Justice League standing their, along with many former Titans, lead by Bee. It was the ultimate sign of respect for their lost ally, friend, and leader.

No words were said for a moment, both sides just staring at each other, reading the pain in each other's eyes. Normally this would be the time when Flash would break the silence, but he just continued to walk past everyone, heading trough roof's door with any words further than a voice command to unlock the door. He didn't care for casual conversation at the moment. The only one who followed him was Jinx, who was beyond worried at this point.

That pretty much summed up the situation better than any words could. If Wally, the most social person in the history of human existence was quite, then it was obvious just how bad the situation actually was. Superman was the first to step forward, everyone else following. Mentors talked with their protégés, hearing their sides of the story, Superman talked with Batman, while the rest of the Bat Family huddled together behind him, not having much of anything to say to anyone, especially Oracle and Red Robin, who just appeared to be vacant, lost in their own thoughts. Bee and Cyborg shared a hug and a lingering kiss, which everyone was to busy engaging in their own conversations to notice.

Starfire stayed behind Raven, Beast Boy, and Wonder Woman, not wanting to be seen or talked to. Cyborg once again took control of the situation after he and Bee's lips parted. "Listen, the briefing will be taking place in the common room. If you want to know what's going on, then get down there. Socializing can wait, this mission isn't over yet," he said, his voice the very definition of commanding.

Though Cyborg wasn't one of the Justice League's main leaders, no one questioned his authority in this situation and all began to head down stairs, lead by none other than Batman, who was all business at this point, his one and only focus being to save his son.

When they entered the common room, where Flash and Jinx already sat, everyone settled in, most choosing to stand, being to upset to sit still. Cyborg and Raven walked to the center of the room and prepared to brief everyone, Cyborg speaking first. "Thank you all for coming. This mission resulted in the loss of a great man." Everyone's eyes sombered even further at this. "But all hope isn't lost yet."

He paused, studying everyone's eyes before continuing. "As most of you, if not all of you know, when Trigon took over the world, Robin went to hell for Raven, his goal being to save her, which he accomplished, not only resulting in Earth's salvation, but Raven being resurrected."

Flash stood up, now interested in the topic of conversation. "What are you getting at? You're saying there might be a way to save Dick? Because that's what it sounds like and if that's it then I'm all for it."

"Wait," Oracle interjected, speaking for the first time in days. "Dick's not in hell. I don't care how he went out. He was to good of a man, done to many good things to be in hell."

Raven raised her hand to calm the emotional girl. "Apart of all of us goes to hell when we die. Our spirit that goes on to Heaven," she glanced at Starfire, who was hiding behind Beast Boy and Wonder Woman. "Or X'hal's realm is pure, so therefore our impurities, fears, anger, regrets, have to end up somewhere. We don't have access to Heaven, but we can get to hell."

"Will someone answer my fucking question?!," Flash yelled, becoming angry with the dancing topics. "Can we save my best friend? Fuck the details of this shit! Just tell me!," he demanded, shrugging off Jinx's hand on his shoulder. It was very uncharacteristic of him to become angry, but it was understandable.

"There's a slim chance," Cyborg began. "But we have to find someone to go."

"I'll go," Superboy spoke up with no hesitation, fearing nothing hell had to offer, which would be quite naïve if he had even the slightest idea of the horror's that hell could produce.

"If he goes, so do I," Ms. Martian seconded.

"As will I," Aqualad added in, followed by every single member of the Titans. They had balls, Cyborg would give them that.

"It's not that simple," Raven silenced them. "Whoever goes has to have a strong emotional connection with him. His mind is going to warped and he won't be thinking clearly. The more his spirit resists you, the more hell itself will. Remember this is a spiritual place and therefore, the laws of reality don't apply there. Anything can happen and you're liable to see terrible, gruesome things... There's no guarantee whoever goes will ever come back, regardless if they find an essence of Dick's spirit or not." It wasn't the best sells pitch, but she wanted anyone who volunteered to know what they were getting into ahead of time.

Flash disappeared briefly, returning seconds later with an extra large bottle of sun block and an already open power bar. "Okay, I'm ready. Let's do this!," he exclaimed, the hope and determination feeling him putting him in a much better mood. At least enough to be positive. If he was going to do this, he was going to have to do it his way, which meant making stupid jokes that were really meant to keep himself calm more than to amuse anyone else.

"Baby, are you sure?," Jinx questioned, the concern clear in her voice. She couldn't handle losing Wally.

He turned to face her, removing his mask to reveal the most serious gleam in his eyes that she had ever seen out of him. "He's my best friend, Jinxy. If there is anything I can do to save him, then I have to try, I have to give it everything I have."

Red tornado stepped up, the heavy clanking of his metal feet getting everyone's attention. "If the goal is finding someone who is emotionally close to him, then would it not be logical to send his mate?," he questioned, looking from Starfire to Cyborg and Raven.

"No," Batman quickly interjected. "She is carrying my son's child, the last piece of him. That isn't worth risking."

Everyone who wasn't already aware of the fact that she was pregnant turned to Starfire with wide-eyes, making her grab onto both Wonder Woman's and Beast Boy's hands as she shied behind them.

"You're pregnant?!," Bee exclaimed, to which Starfire just gave a timid nod and smile in response.

Batman, ignoring the insignificant commotion, continued. "I'll be going as well."

"Me too," Oracle spoke up.

"And me," Red Robin added.

Batman turned to them and shook his head. "You two are both too emotionally unstable to come. You'll make mistakes and that won't help anyone." They glanced at each other before both were forced to reluctantly nod. You didn't argue with Batman and both knew if Bruce had anything to say about it, Dick would be brought back.

Flash zipped up to Batman's side, putting his arm around the older man's shoulders. "No offence Grandpa Bats, but you're not exactly ideal. I mean, don't you have like your AARP card or something?"

Batman shrugged his arm before turning to face him with the bat glare. "I may not be in my prime, but I assure you, I'm driven like I never have been before. Is a quick sparring match necessary to prove that to you?"

Flash just gave him a sheepish smile before wiping the nonexistent dust off Batman's chest. "No, I'll take your word for it." He then quickly turned to face everyone, holding up the bottle of sun block. "So, which one of you lucky lady wants to rub this all over my naked body?"

Everyone traded questioning glances, while Jinx frowned and crossed her arms over her chest. Only Wally could joke when staring down the bottomless pit of fire and tortured souls know as hell... at least they hoped he was joking.

* * *

**Next chapter: Batman and Flash go to hell, shit gets real quickly, Starfire becomes a nervous wreck and her pregnancy hormones kick in making her completely irrational, and a very emotional scene. Remember to leave a review for a speedy update. I'm pretty busy all this coming week, so I could take my time.**


	13. Highway To Hell and Salvation

Chapter Thirteen - Highway To Hell and Salvation

**This is the single greatest chapter I have ever written. Period.**

**XYZ - Right now I'm currently reading a few stories, but if I had to suggest one, it would be Conflicted Opportunity. If you're not already reading it then definitely check it out. Great usage of wording and detail in it.**

Thursday, July 26th 2:00 PM - Hell's passage

3rd person POV

Batman and Flash walked down the staircase of the old library, followed closely behind by an increasingly nervous Starfire, who was feeling very odd at the moment, Raven, Beast Boy, Cyborg, Bumble Bee, Jinx, Wonder Woman, Oracle, Red Robin, Huntress, Batgirl, Robin, Superman, Zatanna, Green Lantern, numerous other members of the Justice League , and the rest of the Titans. It was certainly quite the parade of heroes to say the least.

Flash, being a nervous wreck as they reached the bottom of the staircase and began walking down a long, dark hallway, did the only thing he could to calm his nerves. Start singing. "Hey Bats," he began, throwing his arm over Batman's shoulders. "You know, what?"

"No, and I don't want to," he replied, not sparing Flash a glance.

Flash ignored his statement and took a deep breath. _"We're on the highway way to hell!_ _On the highway to hell! Highway to hell! Oh, we're on the highway to..."_

"Shut up, Wally!," the majority of the group shouted in unison.

Flash grinned, beginning to relax. "I guess that's not your guy's cup of tea, huh? No worries, I got plenty of other things stored up here," he assured, tapping the side of his head with his pointer finger.

"I suppose there has to be something up there," Jinx mumbled with a roll of her eyes. She still wasn't to happy about the sun block incident.

Flash took in another deep breath._ "You think I'm pretty - without any make-up on. You think I'm funny - when I tell the punch line wrong. I know you get me - so..."_

"Aghh!," Starfire screamed in frustration before grabbing Flash by his suit to hold him in place, causing a yelp to escape his lips. She glared at him, her eyes glowing as she let out a low grumbling growl. "If you continue to do the singing at such a serious moment, I will detach your testicles from your person. Are we clear?"

Everyone stopped in their tracks, staring at the normally sweet girl with wide-eyes and gaping mouths, while Wally just swallowed hard and let out a nervous laugh before looking over at Raven. "Um, that's Starfire for 'I'm going to rip your balls off, right?"

Raven ignored him, focusing her energy on Starfire. Finding the problem, she gently pulled Starfire away from Flash, who growled again before releasing him. "Her hormones are beginning to act up. Her body seems to be actually craving Dick, like one would a drug." Rethinking what she said, she quickly turned to her husband, who already had his mouth open, preparing to make a dirty joke. "Don't even," she warned, pointing at him threateningly.

His mouth clamped shut and his ears dropped, while Batman fought to not sigh. "I need everyone to focus." He turned to Raven, glancing between her and Starfire. "Can you keep her under control?"

Before Raven could even open her mouth Starfire spoke up for herself, no longer feeling any of the shyness from earlier. "I do not need to be controlled! You need to be controlled!," she shouted, poking Batman in the chest, all rational thoughts completely gone.

He raised an eyebrow beneath his cowl, while Raven sighed and removed Starfire's hand from Batman's chest. "Yeah, I got her," she droned as she dragged the growling Starfire to the back of the line.

"You know," Flash began, looking over at Batman. "I like my girls feisty, but she kind of scares me... a lot."

"I expected this. Raven is correct in her assumption that her body is craving my son, just as a drug addict would crave whatever their fix is. Her hormones are much more unbalanced that humans to begin with, but with her being pregnant, her imbalance has intensified greatly. The touch of her mate will lessen the effects, but until then, someone will just have to keep her under control."

"How do you know all of this stuff?," Flash exclaimed in amazement.

"I'm Batman," he answered simply as he turned on his heals with a swoosh of his cape, continuing on his way day the hallway.

Flash blinked twice. "Well, alright then." He followed behind Batman and everyone else behind him until they came to a stone, circular room that was much older than the library itself. For those who were seeing it for the first time, the statues alone were enough to make them feel a certain level of uneasiness. Even Beast Boy, who had been here before, was finding himself uncomfortable, but that was really due to the memory of Raven sacrificing herself rather than the creepy statues scattered around the room.

Raven glanced across the room to the tunnel on the other side. "That's your entrance way. The moment you find Dick you need to get him to understand what I'm doing. I can't pull him out if he doesn't want to come. You understand?"

Flash waved his hand dismissively. "We got this." He looked over at his partner. "We do got this, right?"

Batman frowned at Flash briefly before turning his attention back to Raven. "Understood." He made his way over to the rest of the Bat Family, while Flash walked over to Jinx.

The Dark Knight looked down at Red Robin specifically, studying him a moment before saying anything. "If I don't come back, you're Batman."

Red Robin's eyes widened behind his mask. "But I'm not ready. I'm only eighteen. I mean..." He silenced himself when his father placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Dick and I had a discussion about this before everything went down. He was preparing to hand the role over to you. We both agree that you're ready. You're the next Batman."

Red Robin found it hard to even contemplate such a notion. Him being Batman, it was just unbelievable. Yes, he knew that he would one day dawn the cowl, patrolling the streets of Gotham, but this soon? He could have never saw that coming, but if both Dick and Bruce, the only two to ever put on the cowl, thought he was ready, then he had to be, even if he couldn't see it.

He swallowed hard and nodded, Batman returning the nod before turning on his heals and walking towards hell's entrance, but paused before he could get very far, turning back to the four of them. "And one more thing. I..." Why was this so hard for him to say? He had to do it. He already regretted never telling Richard that he loved him, and he didn't know if he would ever see Babs, Tim, Damian, or Helina again, so he had to say it. No more regrets. "I love you. All of you. Regardless of blood or last names, you're all my family."

They traded glances, surprised by the sudden words of affection from a man who was usually quite on such subjects. Babs, being the oldest, was the one to step up. "We love you too. Be safe."

He once again nodded, this time with a slight smile before continuing on his way.

Meanwhile, Wally, now maskless, and Jinx stood in complete silence, just staring into each others eyes. Wally reached and grabbed both of her hands in his own. "You know, if I don't make it back from this, I just want you to know..." He paused for dramatic effect. "You were really lucky to have me. I'm mean, I'm kind of great."

She laughed slightly and punched him in the arm. "Way to ruin a moment, jerk."

He grabbed her hands again his face turning completely serious. "I love you, Jenny. No matter what happens, just remember that."

Her smile fell, her face now reflecting his. She removed her hands from his and snaked her arms around his neck. "I love you too, Wally." She felt a couple of tears gather in her eyes. "Come back, okay?" She needed him just as much as Starfire needed Richard.

He nodded slightly before pulling her into a passionate kiss that seemed like it lasted for centuries, only parting when a breath of air became necessary. They shared one more long, meaningful look, before Wally flipped his mask back over his face and with an exclamation of "let's do this," jogged off to catch up with Batman.

"Wait!," Starfire called, halting Flash in his tracks. He turned, finding her hurrying toward him, an urgent expression on her face. "Listen, if you're going to growl at me again, I..."

"Give him this if you find him," she interjected, handing him a photo of herself and Richard laying in the park, the same one that she had kept on Tameran with her all of those years, now removed from its frame to make it easier to carry. "I am not sure that it will help, but I... I just feel that you should take it."

Flash smiled lightly and nodded before putting the picture away in one of his suit's pockets. "Me and Grandpa Bats got this, I promise you." He kneeled down, placing his hand on her stomach. "We're going to bring your dad back and years from now, when he wakes you up at five in the morning for a ten-mile run, you can blame your uncle Wally and Grandpa Bruce for it." Flash stood to his feet and gave Starfire a last reassuring smile before darting off.

As Starfire watched their shrinking figures disappear into the darkness of the tunnel, she whispered, "Please, let him come back, let them all come back."

Thursday, July 26th 2:15 - Hell

3rd Person POV

Batman and Flash existed the tunnel, finding a lone stone path at the end, lava surrounding it on both sides. There were two stone, axe wielding, humanoid statues with dog like features on their faces, similar to something you would see in an ancient Egyptian museum display, and at the end of the stone path, over a hundred yards away, there were three more tunnels, each most likely leading to a different area, but those would be dealt with when they got there. One step at a time.

"You know," Flash began as he examined the area around them, looking over everything from the canine teeth like rocks hanging from the stone ceiling above them, to the ocean of lava surrounding them. "A lot of women have told me to go to hell, but I never thought it would actually happen. Bet they're happy right now."

Batman just gave him a sideways glance. "You should really consider getting tested for ADHD," he droned before begin to walk ahead.

Flash shrugged, pleased the Bruce was actually somewhat engaging in a conversation with him. "Jinx says the same thing." He followed behind the Dark Knight, but as they passed by the stone statues, his instincts kicked and time slowed down. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the stone statue's eyes turn red and the statue whip around toward him, swinging it's axe at his head as it did.

Flash quickly ducked under the attack before pausing briefly to glance over at Batman, who was fighting off the other statue and doing quite well at that.

The statue forcefully slashed its axe downward, but as it did, Flash leapt onto it's stone staff and leaped into the air, drop kicking the statue in the face and using the momentum of the kick to backflip in the air and land on his feet.

The statue fell into the lava, almost instantly sinking under its own weight. With that problem taken care of, Flash turned to help Batman, believing was going to need it at his age, but found his statue in pieces, the axe completely smashed along with the statue's head. "How did you manage to do that?," he questioned the older man, completely amazed.

The Dark Knight opened his mouth to respond, but Flash held his hands up to bring him to a pause. "Yeah, I know, you're Batman. Never mind." He really didn't know why he asked in the first place, knowing what Bruce would say beforehand. Now he saw where Richard got it from. During his year-long stint as the caped crusader, whenever he didn't feel like answering something in detail or didn't want to dive into an explanation on a subject, he would just say 'I'm Batman' and that would be the end of that. It was very frustrating.

Batman just continued on his way down the path, Flash quickly joining him. "You know, hell is pretty cliché if you think about it. I mean, statues coming to life? Really? I've seen that on Scooby-Doo at least a hundred times. You'd think Satan... or Trigon would be more creative."

"Are you going to talk this entire trip?," Batman droned.

"Most likely," Flash acknowledged with a grin. "...But if you'd rather, I could always sing?"

Batman sighed, fighting the urge to pinch the bridge of his nose. "Talking is fine."

Flash continued to babble, jumping from insignificant subject to insignificant subject, Batman only responding with grunts. The speedster only came to a pause when they came to end of the path, now facing the three different tunnels. "So, which one do we go down?," he asked, his expression becoming momentarily serious.

Before Batman could acknowledge his question with an answer, the left and right tunnels were both suddenly snapped shut, the ceiling above collapsing down on both like a mouth closing, leaving only the middle one as an option. "Well, I guess there's your answer," he replied already stepping into the tunnel.

"But... what?," Flash exclaimed, reflecting on Raven saying how the laws of the physical world didn't apply here. She wasn't joking. "How do we know there's not an army of demon creatures at the end?," he called. "Or a giant, human eating dog?"

"We don't," Batman droned without turning around.

"We're so going to die," he sighed before following behind.

Thursday, July 26th 3:00 PM - Hell's passage

3rd person POV

Everyone stood in the large circular room, each doing their own thing to pass the slowly moving time. Starfire was pacing back and forth across the room, mumbling to herself in Tameranian, Raven and Beast Boy were keeping a watchful eye on her, just in case she decided someone looked at her the wrong way, The Bat Family set off to themselves, discussing a variety of topics, Justice League members gathered in groups, discussing the news of Nightwing's untimely demise, The Titans kept close to each other, and Bumble Bee and Cyborg leaned against the far wall, engaged in a private conversation.

"I can't believe he's actually gone," she began, looking up at cyborg, who had his robotic arms crossed over his chest.

"I know... but we just have to keep hoping," he replied quietly.

"Do you think this is actually going to work? You don't here about people being raised from the dead often," she reasoned. She wanted it work, desperately in fact, especially for Starfire's sake, but to her, the term dead was final, absolute, definite, no grey area.

His hand moved to grab hers, clutching it gently in his own. "I don't know. Raven said it wasn't going to be easy, but Flash and Batman are going to do everything they can, that I'm sure of."

Bumble Bee was quite for a moment, glancing down at the ground in thought before finally speaking again. "All of this, it makes you think doesn't it? I mean, we could be breathing our last breath right now, living our last day, sharing our last look."

Cyborg looked over at her, their eyes locking onto each others. "Yeah, I suppose, but what are you getting at?," he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I... I told Herald everything. That I loved you, that I was in love with you. He wasn't happy to say the least, but he understood what I had to do. I planned on surprising you that night, but of course I found out you were on the other side of the galaxy," she responded, now leaning her body against his.

Cyborg smiled the brightest he could with the current situation. "So, where does that leave us?"

She smiled at him seductively. "Where do you want that to leave us?"

Without a word, he leaned forward their lips barely brushing before an outburst by a certain Tameranian ruined the moment.

"Where are they? Are they not capable of performing the task? I knew I should have went," she ranted, tears forming in her eyes, meaning she was liable to burst out crying at any second.

"Star, relax," Beast Boy attempted to calm her. "It hasn't even been an hour yet."

She pointed at him warningly. "No, you do the relaxing. The love of my life is dead and I am carrying his child, a child that might not ever get to meet their father, the man who I love so deeply that it hurts, and you want me to do the relaxing? I cannot relax. My mind is racing and I cannot think straight and I want Richard!," she yelled, now crying fully.

Bee and Cyborg watched with somber expressions as Raven attempted to console her, failing miserably at that. "She's hurting really badly, ain't she?," Bee asked rhetorically, the answer being obvious.

"We all are."

Thursday, 26th 3:30 PM - Hell

3rd person POV

After walking for miles down the straight, dark path of the tunnel, a faint light finally appeared at the end. The long walk had given Batman a lot of time to think, mostly ignoring Flash's jabbering. During his contemplation of the situation, he had come to a conclusion that he was rather sure of. They were being led. By who or what, he didn't know, but they were definitely being directed by some unseen force. The other two paths closing in on themselves made that rather obvious. The question really was not who was leading them, but where were they being lead and would it help them find Richard. For all either knew, they could be going in the wrong direction completely, but they didn't have much of a choice.

When they finally came to the end of the tunnel, Flash's mouth dropped. "Holy..." he trailed off breathlessly as he stared at what looked like a circus tent, but instead of being red and white, it was all black and had small tears in its fabric, making it look very ominous.

Batman studied it for a moment, having made the connection to Richard's childhood instantly on sight. "I think we're on the right track," he spoke before heading off in the direction of the tent.

Flash swallowed, being unnerved by the sight, before quickly following behind him. They slowly stepped inside, finding nothing but endless blackness, so dark that they couldn't even see their hands an inch in front of their faces. Suddenly a dark, demonic voice began to speak, sounding like it was coming from a micro phone, but still there was nothing to be seen. "Ladies and Gentlemen, it's now time for the main event of the evening. I hereby give you the greatest acrobatic family in the world today, The Flying Graysons!"

Batman's mouth fell open, remembering those were the exact words spoken that night in Gotham, right before Richard's parents fell to their deaths. Lights suddenly flashed on from the top of the tent, which for some reason couldn't be seen, just never ending darkness. To giant trapeze stands were illuminated, a figure standing on each. Though one was clearly a man and the other a woman, no details could be made out. They were just shadows, no faces, no clothing, nothing standing out about either.

Though there didn't appear to be anyone around outside of Flash and Batman, loud cheering could be heard from the nonexistent crowd, to which the shadow figures waved and bowed to. It was certainly creepy, but neither could turn away. The actors began to perform their act, leaping from their stands with grace, but the ropes holding them, which were nothing more than shadows themselves, snapped and the two fell to their would be deaths, vanishing before they could hit the ground.

Flash swallowed hard, now wide-eyed and able to hear his heart pounding in his chest. "Is that how it happened?," he asked, clarification not being necessary.

Batman swallowed as well, hating to have to rewatch it. "Just like that," he replied in a whisper. Bruce was a hard person to rattle, but hell had successfully accomplished it.

The lights flashed off and the next thing could be heard was what sounded like a young boy crying, followed by it actually beginning to rain inside the tent. Hard, heavy drops that soaked both Flash and Batman within seconds. Logic was obviously out the window and neither had any doubt that the falling water represented the tears that Richard had cried after the loss of his parents.

The young boy's crying faded out after a couple of minutes, as did the rain and everything was silent for a moment. Flash looked up at Batman and was about to question him on what they should do from there, but before he could, a bright doorway appeared at the far end of the tent, seemingly forming out of nowhere.

"I guess we're supposed to go that way, huh?," Flash motioned to the doorway, Batman only nodding in response. They walked silently toward the light, both feeling slightly apprehensive after the scene that just had played out before them.

Upon stepping through the exit, the door instantly vanished behind them and they found themselves it what they recognized as a street in Jump City, only everything was different. All the people were frozen in time, the buildings were all black, and the sky above was dark grey, even though there wasn't a single cloud in it.

The only movement came from two shadow figures that were staring each other down, and like the last ones, one was clearly male and the other female. The male withdrew some form of staff like weapon an charged at the female, whose hands and nonpresent eyes began to glow green.

Flash and Batman watched as they fought, both knowing that's this must have been the first encounter between Starfire and Robin in which they battled each other because Starfire was destroying the city. Three other figures joined the fight, their forms appearing out of thin air. Clearly the tall, muscular one was the form of Cyborg, the other two being Beast Boy and Raven.

Robin's figure and Starfire's figure began to interact with other, obviously talking even though there were no words spoken. Suddenly what appeared to be some form of hand constricting device fell to the ground off of Starfire's form and the next thing either Batman or Flash knew, she was kissing him, a kiss which seemed like it lasted forever, before finally pushing him to the ground and flying off, all the shadow figures, including hers disappearing instantly after.

"So..." Flash began, taking a moment to take all of that in. "What now?"

"Just wait," was Batman's only reply and they didn't have to wait long. Just seconds past before the entire city landscape around them literally began to crumble to the ground, falling into the darkness below, even the concrete beneath their feet falling into the blackness, which caused Flash to scream and wrap his arms around the Dark Knight, but despite the fact they were standing on nothing, they didn't fall.

Flash peeked open his eyes finding they were standing in what appeared to be nothing more than a grey room with a black floor and they had indeed not fallen to their deaths. Smiling sheepishly, he released Batman from his death grip, dusting off his shoulder as he did. "Sorry about that."

Batman just frowned, but before he could respond, the sound of crying from behind them caught both men's attention. They quickly turned around, finding yet another shadow figure. This time, it was a male setting in the silhouette of a computer chair, his face buried in his hands.

_"God please,"_ the figure spoke, the voice being that of Richard's, which both alarmed and excited his rescuers. _"Bring her back to me. Let her know that I'm sorry for everything I said, everything I did. I was wrong to think that I wasn't in love with her, wrong to think that I didn't need her, wrong to think that I could possibly live without her. She is everything to me. Every piece of my heart belongs to her and without her... I'm nothing, empty, a hollow shell of a man, just going through the motions."_

The shadow paused, his sobs becoming harder. _"If you never give me anything again, if have to live through an eternity of hell, then I'll do it to have her back. One day of happiness with her is worth more misery than eternity can bring me, so please just give me one more chance with her, one more moment so that I can tell her how I really feel, tell her how much I love her, tell her everything I should of everyday, but now I can't... because she's gone."_

The shadow disappeared, but his last word echoed throughout the room in a ghostly voice that sent chills down both men's spines. _"Gone. Gone. Gone. Gone. Gone. Gone." _The voice continued on before it finally centered itself behind them. They once again quickly swiveled around to find nothing, but complete blackness where the grey walls had once been just minutes earlier.

A light clicked on, shining down from absolutely nowhere, which by this point was no surprise to either of them. A circular space was illuminated on the floor, revealing nothing, but black ash coating the entire visible area and suddenly the smell of burnt flesh coated the air, causing both men to hold their noise so not to gag. "Eww, what is that?!" Flash exclaimed. "It smells worse than my trips to the bathroom after I eat at Taco Bell."

Even if Batman would have acknowledged that with a response, which he wouldn't have, wind began to blow forcefully, even managing to push them back slightly. The black ash on the ground began to swirl like a tornado, but not a grain of the black dust left the illuminated spot.

"What the hell is going on?," Flash yelled over the roaring wind. He had actually been waiting to say that the entire trip, since they were actually in hell and all. Now seemed like a fantastic time to bust it out.

As the tornado swirled, Batman took note that something was beginning to form out of the ashes, a humanoid like figure, but the details couldn't yet be made out. The wind's force suddenly doubled, condensing the figure into a solid object and knocking the one-hundred-ninety-five pound Flash promptly onto his ass.

Right as he managed to make it back to his feet, the wind completely ceased and he turned his attention to the now present figure in the room, his mouth falling open on sight. It wasn't a shadow this time, but he truthfully wished it was because what kneeled there before the two men was the hardest thing either ever had to look at.

On his knees in front of them was Richard, fully clothed in his Nightwing suit, minus the mask, but his exposed skin resembled that of Freddy Kruger's from the 'Nightmare On Elm Street' movies, terribly burnt, making his face unrecognizable. His eyes were gone, nothing but empty black slits to replace them, and his hair had been completely burnt off. He looked very demonic to say the least

"Holy horror movie, Batman," Flash spoke breathlessly, not daring to remove his eyes from his unrecognizable best friend.

Batman swallowed roughly, being more shaken by the sight in front of him than he had been by anything since his parent's death. Taking a deep breath, he took a hesitant step forward, making sure to keep in a defensive stance just in case Richard... or whatever this thing was, tried to attack. "...Dick?," he said slowly.

Richard didn't respond or even acknowledge his presence, acting as if he weren't even there.

Flash stepped up beside Batman, removing his mask as he did, Bruce following the action. "Hey buddy, it's me, Wally. You know, your best friend." He motioned over to Bruce. "Your grumpy old dad's even here. Fresh from the retirement home and everything."

Richard tilted his head to the side, which was really more creepy than anything "Wally... Dad... Here," he repeated in whisper.

Okay, that's good. He was at least showing some level of awareness. Bruce stepped into the light, Wally following behind. "Yes son, we're here. Here to bring you back to Earth, to your friends, your family, Starfire, and your child. You can't stay down here."

"Yeah dude, I'm sure Star will still love you even if you look like a hideous monster... not that you do. I mean, it's nothing some make-up, a wig, a pair of sun glasses, and a few million dollars worth of plastic surgery can't fix," Wally rambled, earning a warning elbow from Bruce, signaling for him to shut up.

"Star... Gone... Dead... Baby... Gone... Dead," his ghostly voice spoke.

"No, they aren't," Wally assured, kneeling down and placing a hand on his shoulder, which thank God, had his suit covering it. "Star is waiting for you right now. We just have to convince you to come back with us and Raven is going to teleport us out of here and you can be with her until she drives you completely crazy with her pregnancy hormones and you fake your own death to move to Cancun." Wally paused, remembering the picture she'd given him before they began the journey here. He reached into the pocket of his suit and pulled out the now bent up photo and held it out to him. "See, she gave me this to give to you... I'm not sure if you can see or not, but...," he trailed off with a shrug.

Richard seemed to be able to see just fine, as he slowly took the photo from the speedster. He gazed over it for seemed like forever before it fell from his hand, fluttering to the ground face down, revealing a note written on it's back.

Bruce was the one to pick the picture up and read it, scanning it over carefully before beginning.

_"To My Love,_

_If you are reading this, then you must understand that you have to come back. I know you are aware that I am pregnant and I know you believed that both our child and I perished on Tameran, but it is not so. We are both alive, breathing, waiting for you. We need you, I need you. If your able to come back, then please, allow yourself to, but if you cannot, I wish to say some things. I have loved you since the very beginning and I shall love to the very end. You have always been my best friend, my chosen, my heart, and you forever will be. If I am to never see you again in this life, then I know I shall see you in the next, waiting for me at X'hal's gates, just like we always promised each other, so I shall not say good-bye, only that I shall see you again later, yes? Just remember that I shall always love you, and shall always be yours._

_Your Star, Koriand'r_

Wally wiped tears from his eyes, clearly affected by the letter. "That was beautiful, man."

"Star... Not gone... Waiting for me... Go home," Richard said, almost an urgent look on his disfigured face.

Before anyone could say anything else, the whole room was overtaken by a blinding white light, familiar voices being able to be heard soon there after...

Thursday, July 26th 5:30 PM - Hell's passage

3rd person POV

Raven floated cross-legged just off the floor, doing her best to focus on Bruce's and Wally's energy, which was quickly fading out of her range, signaling they were a good distance in to the pits of hell. It was really hard to focus with Starfire around, not so much because of her babbling, growling, or crying, but because her emotions were driving Raven insane. She was feeling to many things at once. Quite honestly, Raven had never felt anything like it before. She supposed that's just what it was like being a pregnant Tameranian, whose species depended heavily on their mate's touch during pregnancy. It wasn't that she required sex, but just hugs, hand holding, back rubs. Very simple things such as that, which she was being denied and the result was the pacing alien girl, who eyes were currently glowing as she cried.

Raven took a deep breath to focus herself, but as she did, a huge explosion of energy could be felt inside of her, but not just any energy. No, it was clearly Richard's. Her eyes began to glow white, allowing herself to be a portal for the energy, and she let out a breathless scream as the entire room was coated in a beaming white light that seemed to make a pulsing sound all its

No one was sure how long the white light lingered there, it almost feeling like time had stopped, like the physical and spiritual realms were crossing paths if only for a moment.

When the light finally faded, it didn't take anyone more than a few seconds to find Wally, Bruce, and most important of all, Richard on all fours in the middle of the room, looking as handsome as ever, his black hair in his face slightly and his skin flawless, a far cry from what his rescuers had witnessed moments before.

What happened next, came to be know as the squeal heard around the world.

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**This is my master piece. I wish everything I wrote could be at this quality, but I can't promise that. This chapter just clicked perfectly for me. Next chapter: Fluff, a very serious conversation, more Wally, and Starfire instincts take over. Review!**


	14. Discussions

Chapter Fourteen - Discussions

**Warning: Mild sexual content. Not really a big deal.**

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Thursday, July 26th 5:45 PM - Hell's passage

3rd person POV

Starfire was completely silent for a moment, the only sound coming from her rapidly beating heart. She blinked a few times as if trying to make sure he was actually there and this wasn't some sick hallucination caused by her abundant stress level, but once she confirmed that the man on his knees, less than thirty yards from her, was indeed her Richard, a teary-eyed squeal escaped her that was so loud, hell itself cringed under its piercing sharpness, not to mention the room's occupants, who all covered their ears in response.

"Richard!," she exclaimed before taking to the air for the first time in weeks, flying right at him like she was launched from a cannon. He groggily looked up at her quickly approaching figure, but before he could even think about reacting, she tackled him in a bone crushing hug, fearing that if she ever were to let go, he would simply vanish into thin air.

The moment she touched him, her raging hormones relaxed and she let herself go completely, crying roughly into the crook of his neck. "I love you," she whispered, her voice muffled by his neck. "I love so much. You do not know how much I have missed you, my love. I could not have went on without you, I just could not."

Richard, however, was far to confused to respond, his only focus being taking in his surroundings. He was in a room he recognized as the chamber to hell, superheroes from the Justice League, the Titans, and the Bat Family scattered throughout the area. The last thing he remembered, and very vaguely at that, he was sacrificing himself in order to avenge Starfire's apparent death and make sure Karras would never hurt a single person ever again, but now Starfire was right in front of him, clearly alive as was he, and they were on Earth. He was lost to say the least.

Everyone kept there distance from the couple, all having smiles on their faces, some even crying such as Babs, Zatanna, and Damian. They wanted nothing more than to go hug him, tell him how much they missed him, how much they loved him, but they stayed back, giving Starfire her time with him, something they all knew she sorely needed at the moment. She leaned back to look him in the eyes, not even noticing how utterly confused he looked. "Oh, I am so happy you are back! I do not know rather to kiss you or kill you." She was indeed happy he was back, but they were going to discuss his reasoning for sacrificing himself a little later.

Wally looked down at them from where Jinx was helping him to his feet. Jumping between dimensions can take a lot out of a guy. "Just a heads up, if you kill him, I will not be doing that again," he motioned to the tunnel that lead to Hell. "It's creepy down there. They got black ass circus tents, shadow people reenacting stuff from his past, and you my friend," he pointed at Richard. "Looked like Freddy Kruger's child. I didn't want to say you were ugly, but you looked like shit... literally. Lucky your all pretty again or Star would have sent your ass back."

Raven studied his face, finding that he had absolutely no idea what Wally was babbling about, something that didn't surprise her. In fact, she had anticipated it. "He doesn't remember anything from his time there, which is probably for the best. When his spirit reconnected with his other essences, everything from death to now got wiped out. His last memory is probably dying. Am I right?," she questioned him.

"I uhh..." He paused looking back at Starfire. "We are alive, right?" I guess that answered that question. He was still hopelessly confused, but that was to be expected from a guy who had been brought back from the dead.

She stroked his hair with a smile before leaning in and placing a hard, passionate kiss on his lips, which he instantly responded to, wrapping his arms around her lower back. It was absolutely magical, intense love burning deeply inside of both of them. The kiss broke, leaving them both slightly panting. "Yes, all three of us are," she breathlessly replied, glancing down at her stomach with a grin. "Wally and K'norfka Bruce journeyed to Hell to retrieve an essence of your spirit and they clearly were successful."

Richard glanced over at Wally and Bruce, who now stood a good distance away to give them space. They had journeyed to Hell in order to save him, giving him more time with Starfire, who was indeed alive and not dead like Karras had said.

He planned on standing to his feet and thanking them for risking their lives for his salvation, but as he replayed what she said in his mind, his attention quickly flew back to her, wondering what she meant by "three." Suddenly his eyes widened in realization as he remembered Karras telling him she was pregnant with his child, and that was why he had to kill her, but if he lied about one thing he could have easily lied about everything else. Could she really be? "You... you're pregnant, right?," he asked for the purpose of confirming it.

She beamed a smile and nodded. "You are happy, yes?"

He placed both his hands on her stomach, looking down at it in amazement. "I... I'm speechless." He had honestly begun to believe that humans and Tameranians couldn't mate. After all, they had sex countless times without the use of any kind of protection, but never had any results from it, so it was easy to see why he would think such a thing, but none the less, he was happy.

She wasn't overly enthusiastic about his response, but before she could question him further, his eyes widened as he remembered the other thing Karras had told him. His blue orbs shot up to Starfire, looking horrified. "Star... you were...," he paused, covering his mouth with his hands, the word being to hard to say. Tears gathered in his eyes and a sick feeling appeared in his stomach, making him feel as if he needed to throw up. How could this have happened? She didn't deserve to be put through that again, no one did.

Starfire instantly knew what he was talking about and apart of her wished that he didn't remember that. "Richard, I am so sorry," she whispered so that no one else could hear the details of their conversation. "I tried to break free, but I was chained and drugged. Please, I beg you, do not hate me, do not find me disgusting," she cried pleadingly.

"Baby, no," he whispered, pulling her into a tight embrace. It hurt him to know that she could possibly even think he would blame her for this. None of this was her fault. It was his. He was the one who was supposed to protect her, he was the man, but he let her down, he failed, he wasn't good enough. "This is all my fault," he mumbled against her shoulder. "I should have protected you, but I couldn't. Star, I'm so sorry that I wasn't quick enough."

Surprised that he was blaming himself, she looked up and raised his head with her hands, forcing him to meet her eyes. "You listen to me, none of this is your fault. There was nothing you could have done, but exactly what you did."

He wished he could dismiss it that easily, but the guilt was sure to hang over him for the rest of his life. He had dealt with countless rape victims before, but never someone he loved. He didn't know what to say or if there was really anything to be said. "Are... are you okay?"

She wiped the tears from her eyes as she considered the question. She truthfully hadn't thought much about it, her mind being consumed with far more tragic issues. "I truthfully am not sure. What happened to me should not happen to any woman. It is wrong and vile... but if you are certain that you do not find me untouchable and do not hate me, then I believe I shall be alright as time passes." She rubbed her stomach with one of her hands as she glanced down at it. "We have other things to concern ourselves with."

Richard looked down at her stomach, studying it a moment. Was it just a coincidence that she ended up pregnant after being raped? Even after what Karras said, it was enough doubt to bring him to a pause. "Starfire... I don't want to upset you, I really don't, but is... is it mine?" He had to make sure. It truthfully didn't matter one way or the other because he would take care of it and treat as his own regardless, but he just felt the need to know for certain.

Starfire smiled and took one of his hands. "The baby is yours, Raven has confirmed it. That is why Karras planned to kill me. He would have if our friends had not saved me." She paused for a moment, clearly thinking something over. "I am ashamed to admit that after I discovered you were... gone, I wished to follow you, despite carrying our child. In the end it is the only reason that I did not."

Richard placed a soft kiss on her lips. "We clearly have a lot to discuss, but I think it'll be best to dive into the details when we're alone." She gave him a light smile and nod, agreeing that here wasn't the best place to have an in depth conversation on such matters.

The next thirty minutes were spent with Richard greeting his friends with hugs, shaking hands with the Titans and Justice League members, and giving Bruce a detailed report on what exactly happened during the invasion. He could tell that his father was really enjoying being back in the suit, which was good because he had no plans of returning to it. It was Tim's job now and would be given to him whenever Bruce decided to take off the cowl, which judging by the satisfied smile on his face, might be awhile.

Richard was obviously now going to make his return to Nightwing, which he was very excited for. Though he had been offered Justice League membership multiple times, he had turned it down each, preferring to work with the younger heroes to prepare them for the future, something he planned on continuing now.

As he continued to greet people, Starfire found it very difficult to not growl every time he had any contact with a female, especially when they told him that they loved him. She normally wouldn't mind him hugging Babs, Bee, Donna, Raven, or even Zatanna, but her instincts were slowly taking over and she subconsciously saw each one as a threat to steal her mate, even though her rational mind knew Richard had no interest in them as in anything more than close friends.

What really almost set her over the edge was when Supergirl hugged him for just a moment to long. It wasn't the hug itself that really bothered her, but the fact that she wasn't really apart of their social group, so therefore wasn't close friends with Richard, meaning that she had no business touching him. The fact she was a nineteen year old, hot blonde that Starfire didn't know anything about did not help matters in the least.

She even felt a small surge of protective jealousy in her when he and Wally shared a bro hug. Men just weren't that close on Tameran as they were, and they definitely didn't hug. It would have been funny if it weren't so sad. She knew it was wrong to view her boyfriend as her territory, something that only belonged to her and no other female... and apparently Wally, had any business around, but she couldn't help it. It was all apart of her pregnancy instincts. If he were a Tameranian male, he would be experiencing the same thing that she was.

Her instincts would only become more dominate the farther into the eight month pregnancy she got, and Richard was certainly in for a challenge, but that was just something else they would have to discuss later. They certainly had a lot that needed to be talked about.

Thursday, July 26th 7:00 PM - Titan's Tower

3rd person POV

After greetings were taken care of, Nightwing, Starfire, Raven, Beast Boy, Cyborg, Bumble Bee, Flash, Jinx, Oracle, Batman, Wonder Woman, and the Titans returned to the tower. Each of the adults could have easily returned to their homes that night via zeta tube, but they all just felt like being with each other, especially after just getting Richard back. Everyone wanted their own time with him.

Once inside the tower and all masks were off, Starfire headed to Richard's old room so she could take a shower, leaving her boyfriend in the common room with everyone else, something she was honestly a little apprehensive about, especially considering he was sitting in between Babs and Wally when she had left. She knew she was being ridiculous, but in her mind, she had every right to be. She was pregnant after all and had the right to be completely irrational.

As the water ran down her back, she stroked her hand down her stomach, a warm smile on her face. Though they had many things yet to be discussed, such as the aspects of Tameranian pregnancy and what in the name of X'hal was he thinking when he sacrificed himself, she was abundantly happy. Richard was a alive, he wasn't angry with her in the slightest, and they had a baby on the way, something she thought might never happen. Things seemed to be going well once again.

She squealed in a sudden burst of euphoria, no doubt caused by a combination of her hormones and having the love of her life back. "X'hal, thank you."

When she exited the shower and dressed herself in a tank top and pajama pants that she borrowed from Helina, she made her way back into the common room where she found Richard right where she had left him, right in the middle of Wally and Babs. His arm was around Babs' shoulder, something that instantly caused her eyes to flash green, but she took a deep breath and bit her tongue, fighting to not call her an _elepsasnor klorbag _and rant on about how she was trying to steal her chosen, something she knew wasn't true. But those damn hormones, though.

Straightening her stance to demonstrate that she was the alpha female in the room, she walked over and took a seat Richard's lap before placing a hard kiss on his lips, meant to say 'he is mine.' She knew it was territorial, but she didn't care at the moment, her only irrational focus being to show ever viable female in the room that he was her mate and no one else's. Everyone just took it as she really missed him and played no attention to it for the most part, continuing on with whatever they were doing rather it be watching the movie playing on the screen in front of them, helping Vic with dinner, or engaging in conversation. Only Raven and Bruce, who was having a conversation with Tim, knew what her true intentions were.

When she broke away, Richard took in a deep breath of air, surprised by the rough fierceness of the kiss. "Hi," he said rather lamely.

"Greetings, my love," she purred into his ear, sending chills down his spine. She leaned back to look him in the face. "Shall we journey to our room for the night and begin discussing things?" Starfire truthfully wasn't in much of a hurry to dive into all the details of the situation, but she wanted him to herself and far, far away from any female.

Before he could answer, Bruce and Tim approached him. "Dick, I think we have some family business to be discussed." He turned his attention to Babs. "You too, Barbra."

She nodded, while Richard looked into Starfire's green orbs. "How about you go ahead to the room and I'll meet you there in a second?"

She glanced at Babs before reluctantly nodding. "Do not take long."

He placed a peck on her lips, which she instantly deepened, giving him a little extra incentive to hurry. As Starfire floated from the room, Babs, Bruce, Richard, and Tim all gathered by the large windows of the common room, all staring out into the sea below. "So Dick," Bruce began. "I don't suppose you have any intentions on returning to the role of Batman."

"The deal was that I would take it over until Tim was ready and he clearly is, so no. I'm going to remain Nightwing," Richard responded.

Bruce nodded and thought in silence for a moment before looking over at Tim. "I assume Helina is your second in command?"

"Yes, she is the only able of leading effectively," he acknowledged.

"Other than Tim, her and Kaldur are the only two that display any leadership ability," Richard added in. "If Tim is making the move to Batman, then she'll have to take over and we'll bring Bart or Cassie up to the Titans to fill out the team. Most likely Bart considering he is living with Wally and Jinx, which can't be healthy for any kid."

Bruce made a sound of acknowledgment before turning Richard. "Then it's settled. Tim will move back to Gotham next week, from that point on Bart Allen will join the Titan's west and Helina will take over duty's as leader." He looked over at Babs. "I'll be expecting you to do routine check-ups on Tim for his first few weeks. It's shouldn't take long for him to get his feet wet, not in Gotham."

"No problem," she shrugged.

Bruce just once again nodded. Now that business was taken care of, it was time to move on to more personal issues. "Babs, Tim, can you give Dick and I a moment?"

The two traded glances before nodding and walking away. Richard and Bruce were both silent for the next few moments, Richard trying to guess what this was about and Bruce trying to figure out how to begin. Taking a deep breath, he just said how he felt. "I really missed you, son."

This caught Richard slightly off guard, not expecting Bruce to be so upfront on the issue. He didn't say anything, only continuing to listen. "When I found out you had left for Tameran with a bunch of rookies and retired heroes, it honestly scared the hell out of me. I gathered all of my operatives and took off as soon as I could, but... we were to late. By the time we arrived, you were gone and I blamed myself for it. Regret consumed me and I spent the whole trip back thinking about what I could have done differently, what I should have done."

He paused, turning to look his son in the eye. "I realized some things that I should have a long time ago. I never have once told you that I loved or that I considered you to be my first born son. I'm not good at these things, but I hope you know that I have feel them, that you are my son and that I love you."

Richard just bit his tongue, fighting to not cry. He knew Bruce loved him, the words weren't necessary, but still, it made him feel a surge of pride to hear his father say them, something he honestly never expected to happen. "Dad... I love you too."

Bruce smiled.

Thursday, July 26th 7:45 PM - Titan's Tower

3rd person POV

Starfire laid crossways on the bed, her head hanging over the edge as she waited very impatiently for her boyfriend to appear. It had only been about fifteen minutes, but it felt like hours and she was going out of her mind. If this was what her whole pregnancy was going to be like then she wished it would just hurry up and end. She wasn't aware that she would feel so needy, so clingy. It wasn't so much that she minded it, only that she feared she would drive Richard mad before the rest of the pregnancy, over seven months, was complete.

When Starfire heard the door swish open she quickly sat up, finding Richard walking through the room. Instantly squealing, she launched herself at him, flying into his waiting arms. He laughed as he swung her around in the air before carrying her over to the bed and sitting her down. "What's with you?," he asked jokingly. He truthfully didn't mind in the least. He loved a clingy Starfire... or any kind of Starfire really.

"I missed you," she purred, nuzzling into the crook of his neck, her euphoric state returning.

He grinned and laid back on the bed, pulling her down with him as he did. "I just saw you fifteen minutes ago."

She lifted her head and rested it on his shoulder. "My pregnancy hormones are doing the acting up. It is something we must discuss, but first I wish to know why."

Richard sighed, knowing her well enough to gather what she was talking about without any form of elaboration. "Star..." He pause, trying to figure out a way to begin.

"Okay, look at it from my view point. No, I wasn't certain you were dead, but then again that didn't matter at the time. I had just discovered that he... did things to you and that infuriated me and yet, took all the fight out of me. I couldn't fight all those men off. Even with back-up, we would have all died in vain because Karras, that monster, would have left the room without a scratch, free to kill you if you weren't already dead, which by that point, I had convinced myself you were and would be waiting for me when I died. There was no right choice, I just took the one that was the least wrong."

Starfire considered everything he said and as much as she wanted to fuss at him and tell him how stupid he was, she just couldn't. There was indeed no correct choice in the situation, so he did what he should have done, the only viable option really. She sighed to demonstrate she was still upset with him. "Very well. I suppose next time you get yourself killed we could always return to hell to retrieve you."

He laughed and ran his hands through her hair. "Wally has already gave everyone the details on what's down there. I'm sure he is exaggerating to some degree, but I don't think you'll have any luck getting anyone to go, so let's just hope it doesn't happen again."

She looked at him, her face suddenly the very definition of serious. "I would always come for you."

His face matched hers. "I know you would. I'd come for you too." She had no doubt that he would, considering he had lead what Bruce called a suicide mission to Tameran in order to rescue her. He moved his hand to her stomach, gliding his fingers up and down it, which caused her to produce a low purring sound. "We're going to parents, Star."

She nearly giggled at the change of subject. He always complained about her having a short attention span, so it was odd to see him flip the subject so quickly. "I know! Are you not filled with joy?"

"I can't get a grip on it really," he answered truthfully. It really still hadn't fully hit him that he was going to be a dad.

Starfire frowned, beginning to become upset with his lack of enthusiasm when she could barely contain hers. "You do not sound happy about this at all. Do not wish to have this child with me?," she questioned, hurt by the possibility.

"No. No, it's not that," he quickly assured her. "It's just... Well, think about it, just two months you weren't even on Earth and four weeks ago we weren't even an official couple and now we're having a baby, like we picked up right where we left off." He shook his head, the words alone being enough to pause him in bewilderment. "It's just, everything happened so quickly, like in the blink of an eye and I'm just trying to catch up. I really didn't think you could even get pregnant by me honestly."

Starfire's eyes fell somber and she rolled off him, facing the foot of the bed. "And you are not ready for such a big step in our relationship and would have wished to wait." She really felt terrible now, the tears in her eyes demonstrating that perfectly.

He rolled her over so that she was laying flat on her back and wiped her tears away as he settled himself on top of her. "Star, don't cry. Yes, I'm freaking out a little, but what do expect? I'm having my first child, our first child, so I have the right to be nervous, but despite that, I can't wait to raise this child with you," he assured, placing soft butterfly kisses on her stomach that made her giggle due to the tickling sensation. "I am ready for this, I want this. We love each other, the rest doesn't matter."

"You are certain that you want this child as badly as I do?," she asked hopefully.

He grinned. "Oh yeah, I'm certain." He playfully took in a deep, his cheeks puffing out as he did, before blowing down on her stomach, producing what Wally would eloquently describe as a farting sound. She shrieked in laughter and squirmed on the bed, but he held her down and continued his assault.

"I am trying to have a serious conversation with you and you wish to play. Is this not backwards from the way things usually are?," she playfully questioned as she forced him to lift his head off of her stomach with her hands.

He playfully sighed before centering his chin on her belly button, so that he could look up at her. "Fine, what's next on the agenda?"

"We must discuss the aspects of Tameranian pregnancy. We never have in any depth before and there are things you must be prepared for," she replied, absently running her hands through his hair, now feeling much more assured about his want of the baby.

"Isn't it the same as humans? I mean, besides it being a month shorter?"

Starfire shook he her head. "No, it is quite different. I shall not have to endure the sickness of the morning like human women, but my hormones will be much more unstable and my instincts will take over at times. I shall become much more defensive over you the farther into the pregnancy I get, possibly even becoming violent if I see a woman as a threat... which really will be almost any female who is not very young or of blood relation."

"Star, I would never cheat on you. I love you, you don't have to worry about another girl," he assured.

"Oh, I know this, but as I said, I will be fueled by instincts, which means I shall not be thinking rationally," she clarified.

Richard shrugged. "We'll just have to deal with it as it comes I suppose. You're clearly not going to be going to work anymore, especially not if there is a chance you could maul some poor girl just for bringing me some documents," he said in almost an amused tone before becoming serious. "And you're definitely off any kind of hero duty."

She wanted to argue, saying she would be fine to patrol for at least another three months, but she knew when to pick her battles. Most of the time Richard would give in two minutes into an argument and let her do whatever she wanted, but the look in his eyes clearly stated that this wasn't one of those times, so she stayed quite and let him continue with his thought process. "I guess we'll go house shopping this weekend or something."

She tilted her head slightly to the side in questioning. "House shopping? Is our current home not sufficient for raising a child?" They had a three bed room, two bathroom house, not to mention a mostly unused office and entertainment room, which could both be converted into bedrooms if a reason arrived. Even Richard's gym could possibly be, although that was a stretch. She really saw no need why they would have to move.

"I mean, it's big enough, but we're moving back to Bludhaven," he replied with a slight grin.

"Why are we..." She paused, her eyes widening in realization and a huge smile spread across her features. "You are going to be Nightwing permanently? What about Batman?"

"Tim's taking over. He's ready, so yes, I'm making the move back to Nightwing."

She squealed in delight as she clapped her hands together. "Oh, this is glorious, absolutely glorious! I have missed Nightwing greatly!" How true that was. He could be so much to her than Batman could be.

Richard laughed and began to kiss her stomach once again. "Should I be jealous?"

Starfire giggled and nodded joyfully. She loved when he would banter with her on such meaningless topics. "Oh yes, you see he is Robin, who is my true love. I am afraid that you are just the rebound, as they say."

Richard made a mock hurt face in response, playfully holding his hand over his heart. "And here I thought we had something special."

"I apologize for misleading you," she grinned before her smile turned seductive. "But you still may pleasure me until Nightwing returns. I mean, you already down there, so...," She trailed off suggestively.

"Using me for sex, huh? ...I'm okay with that," he teasingly decided and she laughed, but her breath quickly hitched when he began to kiss and lick his way farther down her stomach until he reached the waist band of her dark blue pajama pants. Without hesitation, he slowly removed said pants and the thong underneath, sliding them off of her long, tan legs before dropping them carelessly to the floor.

Richard slowly caressed her legs with his hands before parting them. The moment he began to kiss his way up her inner thigh, her back arched slightly and soft moans escaped her. She felt hyper responsive to his every move, his every touch. She really wasn't sure if it were the pregnancy or the fact that she had almost lost him, that was making her so responsive, but she really didn't care at the moment. Grabbing onto his hair, she angled his head so that his tongue was nearly penetrating her.

"Eager are we?," he grinned, enjoying how aggressive she was being.

She wiggled toward him, trying to coax him into what she wanted. "Please, do the shutting up and get to work."

"Whatever you wish for," he replied before licking his tongue across her, causing a loud gasp to escape, followed by euphoric moans as his tongue slipped inside of her. Her hips slowly worked in unison with his tongue as she pressed down on the back of his head to increase the pressure being applied.

She was breathless and loving the sensations running through her and he himself was enticed by the more vigorous side of her. Things were going fantastically and he was gearing himself up to penetrate her with more than just his tongue, but then...

The door swished open and Wally entered the room. "Hey boss, Vic said dinner is..." He paused, his eyes widening in horror as his brain took in the sight in front of him. "Oh my God! My eyes!," he screamed.

Wally ran. He ran faster than he had ever ran in his life, reaching the common room in a second flat. He came to a skidding stop in front of Jinx, who sat on the couch talking with Donna and Raven, only to bury his face in her stomach.

She looked down at him, concern in her eyes. "Wally, what's wrong?"

He shook his head quickly, as if trying to rid his mind of the images currently playing through it. "They... he... and tongue... a baby is going to come out of there!

Everyone just traded glances.

* * *

**This is a transition chapter, meant to move along the plot. I'm probably not going to spend a whole lot of time with the pregnancy, because I have something planned for after. Give a review if you want a quick update. Like I said I'm stacked this week, so no reviews equals no writing.**


	15. Road To Parenthood

Chapter Fifteen - The Road To Parenthood

**Has anyone noticed that Wally steals every scene he is in, even if he only has one line? He's to damn likeable.**

**Warning: Graphic sexual scene. I do not recommend younger readers read the section entitled 'Role Play,' but do as you wish. You have been warned.**

* * *

**Jealous Part Two**

Sunday, July 29th 1:00 PM - Bludhaven

Starfire's POV

After eating lunch at a small café in Bludhaven, I get into my white SUV, something I proudly purchased with my own money, before making my way to my set destination. Richard and I spent hours yesterday looking through ads for homes for sell in Bludhaven. It was not easy to find something that would fit both of our needs to say the least. We have very specific requirements and there are even more now that we have a baby on the way.

First off, a basement was necessary. The old Nightwatch location was still active, but Richard needs super computer and zeta tube access at all times, just in case what he described as a "shit hits the fan" moment springs up, and he needs information or we require getting to the Watch Tower or Batcave with haste. It also had to be secluded for obvious reasons, so an apartment or a house in the suburbs was not optional.

Those were really his only requirements. I, on the hand, was more picky about what I wished for. It just absolutely had to have room for me to plant a garden and have a green house. Also, even though the we are considered a wealthy couple, both of us making a nice yearly income, it could not be over-sized. I wanted something very modest, nothing more than a normal family could afford, and Richard of course, not caring on the matter, allowed me free will to chose whatever I wished as long as it met his specifications.

We finally managed to find something that would be perfect for us and our soon to be family. A four bedroom house, with a big back yard for recreation and my garden, a nice sized basement, a cozy fire-place to ward off the freezing eastern United States' winters, and it was in a secluded area, just outside the city, making our privacy assured. After a quick acknowledgment of agreement, I picked up the phone and called the number of the realtor listed, a man named Guy Saint-Pierre. He sounded like a nice man, possibly foreign, and agreed to meet us at around 1:30 today at said house to give us a tour of the interior.

We woke up early this morning and were all ready to depart at around ten, but just as we were about to head out the door, an alert for Bludhaven went off and Richard, or rather Nightwing, had to respond to it. I did not mind in the least. In fact, I am happy he trusts me to inspect the house by myself. Besides, he promised he would head straight there as soon as he handled the alert, so it not being the big deal, I left to see our possible future house, but in the back of my I do wish that I got to go with Nightwing. I still have yet to see him in his suit and he was enjoying teasing me with it.

I arrive at the house right on time, finding a black Honda parked out front and a well dressed, blonde-haired man waiting for me by the front door. He is actually quite handsome, but as I get out of the car, my only focus is on the house. It is exactly as it looked in the pictures, two stories high, a white-painted exterior, a beautiful balcony outside the master bedroom, and tin roofing. I believe that it is truly love at first sight. "Oh, this is glorious," I absently comment as I gaze at it.

"I am happy to know that you like it," the blonde-haired man replies as he approaches, his voice having an underlying French accent, signaling he is the man who I spoke to yesterday.

I turn my attention to him and beam a smile as I extend out my hand, something I have became accustomed to from attending many of Bruce's parties with Richard. "Greeting, you must Mr. Saint-Pierre, yes?"

Instead of shaking my hand like I expect, he smirks and places a soft kiss on it, which gives me a moment of pause, but I suppose that it is just apart of his culture. I have been to France a few times back when I used to model and I did notice there people were a little more comfortable with touch than Americans were. "Please, call me Guy and you are of course the famous Kori Anders, no?"

I smile at him and nod. "Yes, that is me. I apologize for my boyfriend's absence, but something came up that had to be taken care of. He may possibly be joining us later, but I am not certain." If only he knew that my boyfriend was Nightwing, I doubt he would be making the googily eyes at me.

Guy places his hand on the small of my back and begins to lead me toward the front door. "Oh, that is perfectly fine, my dear. You and I can handle this without your boyfriend present."

I allow myself to be led through the house, Guy keeping his hand on my back the entire time. I am aware that he is doing the flirting with me, which does amuse me some. I honestly like the fact that men find me attractive and that I am able to acquire most males attention just by stepping into a room. It gives me a sense of power to know that they all wish they could have me, but I am just to far out of reach for them to get, all of my affection belonging to one man and one man alone.

That is not to say that I am not aware of when a man was attractive though. Garth, or rather Tempest, is still as glorious to look at as he was in his days as Aqualad, Roy was very handsome in his own right, even though I have yet to see him since returning to Earth, and even Guy is a very good-looking man, but his flirting is still all for not. Tameranians are endlessly loyal to our partners and are impossible to tempt. I really wish humans were that way as well. It would certainly ease my mind greatly to know that a simple argument with Richard would not spiral into a break-up or him spending time with another female would not escalate any further than friendship. I knew it is very unlikely that it would and I do trust Richard immensely, but still, it could happen.

After showing me around the upstairs, we return to the first floor, but are surprised find Richard standing in the doorway. When he notices Guy's hand on his my back, a frown instantly crosses his face, causing Guy to nervously remove said hand. Richard is quite a large man and most people do not notice because he is always wearing a business suit when he is in public or on television. The fact that he has nothing but a black t-shirt that does the showing off of his muscles is most likely intimidating to Guy, and understandably so.

I see the jealousy all over his face and decide to do the messing with him a little. If I am going to be abundantly possessive for the next seven moths, he needs to see what I shall be feeling anyway. "Greetings Richard, I am glad you could make it. Guy, has been most helpful in making me sure that this house is the right one," I say, giving the realtor a sideways hug and placing a cheerful kiss on his cheek, which causes Richard's scowl to deepen and his glare to burn a whole straight through the man.

Guy laughs nervously, avoiding Richard's gaze. "I do what I can, it is my job after all."

"Oh, but you are very good at it. Most persuasive," I continue, adding in the slightest but of seduction, just to judge Richard's reaction. A sense of satisfaction comes over me when I see his fist clench and his jaw tighten. I hate to admit it, but it is nice not being the jealous one for a change. If a person as down right cocky as Richard can be a little insecure, then I have every right to be.

Guy's face turned red as he walked over the couch to retrieve his brief case, clearly in a hurry to escape the situation. "So, how about we get started on that paper work, huh?"

I stifle a giggle and take a seat beside him, making sure to sit a little closer than I normally would. Richard choses to stand and let me handle the paperwork. I believe he has deduced what I am attempting to do and is doing the pouting. Once it was taken care of and Guy made a phone call or two, we were the official owners of the house. The moment Guy leaves, which was hurriedly as I suspected, Richard removes his sunglasses and looks over at me as I smile innocently back at him. "You think you're really funny, don't you?"

I cannot help, but to giggle. "Now do you see how I feel with all of these girls touching you?"

"I was dead," he exclaims. "They were happy I was back, besides, you know them."

"I do not know Supergirl anymore than you know Guy and she seemed quite pleased to feel on you," I retort. This may very well be my hormones making themselves known, but I do not like her, not one bit. I even had a dream where I blasted her with a starbolt for staring at him to long.

"She's a kid, like nineteen. He was our age," he shot back.

"My point is that I got the pay back," I elaborate, feeling very happy that Richard gets jealous over me.

Richard turns on his heals and heads for the door.

"Where are you going?," I call, beginning to feel a little worried that this has turned more serious than I had meant for it to. Richard cannot be pushed as far as someone like Wally or Gar, who will banter all day, loving every second of it. Richard is more of the serious type, it being apart of his very nature.

"I'm going to make out with Babs," he calls back

I smile, despite a slight, almost unnoticeable twinge of hormone fueled jealousy. I know the game was still going and I love playing it. "Fine then, you have your fun, but be prepared for the castration that comes after."

A pause. "...I love you."

I just laugh.

* * *

**Roll Play**

Tuesday, July 30th 1:00 AM - Richard and Starfire's house (Gotham)

3rd person POV

Starfire laid in bed, watching the movie playing on the flat screen in front of her. It had been a very boring day with absolutely nothing to do. Richard left for work at nine and her hormones had been getting the best of her the entire day, which meant she couldn't meet him for lunch, at least not without risking having some poor waitresses' head ripped off for taking his order. It basically boiled down to her being stuck in the house all day, something that was very displeasing.

Her boredom was so overwhelming, she had actually called Alfred for girl talk, which he somehow agreed to and they spent over two hours on the phone. She was just going to have to get a job, there was no other option. Working would be no issue at the current time, only working near Richard would be a problem, so she would just have to find a job outside of Wayne Enterprises'. She didn't care what it was, just something to keep her busy.

Richard and her had a brief discussion about it when he returned home from work and he reluctantly agreed to call in some favors and get her an interview as a translator at the Bludhaven police department, a job she would enjoy and could do quite easily. She had to beg, but after that didn't work, she tackled him, pinning him to the floor and refusing to move until he gave in. Eventually his need to use the bathroom got her what she wanted. He promised he would handle all of the details just as soon as they moved and got settled into their house, which they would be doing the coming weekend.

Starfire sighed out of pure boredom, but her eyes instantly shot up when she heard the bedroom door open, knowing it was Richard returning from patrol of Bludhaven. The Nightwing sightings had actually been the top story on the news for the past three days after his year-long absences. She was amazed at how much the city of Bludhaven loved and respected him. Even the criminals had a certain admiration for him, if only because it gave them a certain adrenaline rush to know that he could be watching them at anytime.

What she hadn't expected when she looked up, was to find her boyfriend leaning against the doorway, fully clad in his Nightwing uniform, his muscular arm crossed over his chest. A huge smile instantly crossed her face and there was a bright twinkle in her eyes as the sight of the suit brought back countless wonderful memories, not to mention how well it showed off his physique.

"Hello, Starfire," he said in his husky Nightwing voice. "It's been a long time."

Starfire smirked, seeing that he clearly wanted to play. "Oh, yes it has. Six years," she agreed as she set up in bed and through the covers off of her to intentionally reveal her naked body, making sure to stick out her chest a little to entice him. "May I inquire what you are doing here?"

He smirked and slowly began to make his way over to her naked form. "What if I missed you and wanted to rekindle what we had?"

She bit her lip to calm her giggle before trying to appear serious. "Then I would tell you I have a boyfriend."

Nightwing looked around the room playfully. "Doesn't look like he's here right now." He leaned down and pushed her onto her back before settling himself on top of her. "But I am," he whispered against her lips as he pressed his weight down on her.

Starfire's breath hitched and she could feel a warm feeling rise within her. She was loving this. Even though she knew it was Richard beneath the mask, it made her feel a little adventurous, naughty even. Very arousing to say the least. "Yes, you are right, he is not here, so I suppose you should take advantage of that before he returns. I desire to be thoroughly pleasured and you may oblige me. I am quite lonely."

"Well, aren't you dirty," he murmured against her lips. "Cheating on your boyfriend, and here I thought you were sweet and innocent."

Starfire bit down on his bottom lip. "Oh, I can be very dirty," she purred. "Shall I prove it to you?"

He grinned. "Be my guest."

She rolled him over and mounted him in seconds. Nightwing instantly responded, pulling down into a searing kiss before parting her lips with his tongue. The kissing was very heated, frantic, desperate, more so than usual. Lust and love consuming her, she leaned into him and whispered. "You have more suits, yes?"

"Yeah, why do..." Before he could even finish the question, she ripped it from his body, using her incredible strength to tear it right down the middle before tossing it aside, leaving him completely naked in the process. Just the way she liked him. Nightwing's masked eyes widened and his mouth fell slightly agape. He had never been literally ripped out of his close before, let alone an armor-plated suit capable of stopping bullets. "That was so hot," he breathed.

Starfire smirked and continued to tease him. "If you think that was hot, then I have a surprise for you." She licked his earlobe, before trailing her tongue across his neck, collar-bone, and down his chest and abs, pausing right above his hardened length. Looking up at his face, to find his mouth agape, she felt a smugness come over, proud that she could draw such a reaction.

She then turned her attention back to the matter at hand and began to lick the pink head of his member in a circular pattern, causing groans of pleasure to escape him. Smiling to herself, she took as much of him into her mouth as she could and began to suck hard as she moved her head up and down. It. Felt. Amazing. He ran his hands through her hair, encouraging her to continue as he lost himself in a lust filled daze.

As she sucked, she allowed her hand to run up the lower part of his shaft that she wasn't able to fit into her mouth, which felt unbelievably amazing. He knew he couldn't take much more, she was just to good at this, so he grabbed her by the arms and rolled her so that he was on top of her, but this only made matters worse for him... or better, depending on how you looked at it, because she had not released him and was more than content to allow him to release into her mouth. It wasn't like they hadn't done this before, but he was having to much fun to let it end that way.

Quickly pulling out, causing a 'pop' sound to be made, and using his strength to pull her back to where she was eye level under him, he thrusted inside her in one swift motion causing her whole body to go limp and for her eyes to fall shut. She was so wet that she felt no pain from the action, only pure, intoxicating pleasure. "Oh, X'hal," she breathed. They didn't have sex like this often, almost never, preferring to remain loving and tender with each other, but on occasion, this was far more pleasurable than any words she could use to describe it.

When he didn't move after a few seconds she peeked open her eyes to find him smirking down at her, and could see his eyes showed amusement through his mask. "What are you waiting for? Sitting still is not pleasuring me, but it is however, very frustrating."

Nightwing just continued to smirk down at her before leaning in and whispering against her lips. "Tell me what you want."

"I want you," she replied in almost a whining tone as she wiggled her hips in an attempt to coax him to move.

"Want me to what?," he grinned, loving that she was pouting.

At first she didn't quite understand what he meant, thinking it was very clear what she wanted, but then her eyes widened in realization. "You are not being fair," she whimpered.

He thrusted his hips a few times to tease her, causing waves of pure euphoric ecstasy to course throughout her entire body. When he came to another stop, she considered biting him, but instead just continued to whine in her growing frustration. "If you want more, you have to say it," he continued to tease.

"Fuck me," she pleaded, giving into his requests. There was something primal about the word that drove both of them crazy with lust. It had rough sexiness to it that was completely enthralling and full of want and desperation.

"Excuse me, I didn't here you well. What did you say?" He had heard her fine, but getting Starfire to swear was almost impossible, so he was enjoying the dirty side of her. He rarely got to see it, so it was enticing.

"Fuck me. You cannot deny your Starfire, can you?," she asked, poking out her bottom lip and giving him her puppy dog face.

"Well, when you put it like that..." He trailed off and began to thrust his hips again, much harder than he had previously, causing Starfire's body to jolt with each impactful movement. She moaned louder than she ever had before, crying out his name as she pleaded for him to go faster.

Nightwing obliged her, eventually burying his entire length deep within her before pulling out and repeating it all over again with great speed. Starfire quickly came to one of the most intense climaxes she had ever felt, her eyes glowing green and her whole body tightening before she released completely with a loud cry. Her body fell limp, feeling a wonderful numbness within her, similar to a feline being exposed to catnip, while Nightwing's pace quickened drastically and in a breathless call of her name, released himself inside of her, before collapsing onto the bed, completely exhausted.

Everything was quite for a moment, only the sound of his panting and her purring filling the room. Nightwing was the first to speak. "Nice seeing you again."

"Agreed," she crooned as she nuzzled into his neck. "We must do this again sometime... five more minutes from now is fine with me."

Nightwing grinned. He loved roll play.

* * *

**Starfire Sitting**

Wednesday, August 7th 10:00 PM - Richard and Starfire's house(Bludhaven)

Starfire's POV

I awake with a warm smile on my face and with good reason. Last night was the first Richard and I slept in our new house. I absolutely love it and cannot wait to start on the decorating, which Richard has given me full control over as long as I do not paint our bedroom purple or any thing even close to it.

I have decided to busy myself with that today and most likely the rest of the week since Richard got me a job interview for next Monday. He said that he told the departments commissioner, who he as well as Nightwing are good friends with, that I speak fourteen languages, including Atlantian, which I learned from Aqualad in a game of spin the bottle when we were teenagers. Robin was not happy with me for a week after that, even though he kissed Argent and I did not say a word on the matter because it was what the game dictated.

Any the way, the commissioner was very impressed with how many languages I knew, which I knew many more than that, over six hundred in fact, but we could not tell him that. Richard says the interview is really just a formality and that the job is mine, which I am boundless happy about, but that also means I must complete the decorating before Monday, so it is time to get on the ball, as they say. I never understood that expression, truthfully.

I rose from the bed and headed into the living room, planning on making myself a quick breakfast before heading off to shop at some stores of hardware in order to purchase all of the supplies I shall need. As I make my way down the stairs and into the living room, I hear something quite odd. The living room television was on and surely Richard would have cut it off before he left.

Feeling curious, I head to see what was going on, finding none other than Wally sitting on our large grey couch with his legs propped on the coffee table in front of him as he eats an over stacked subway sandwich and watches television.

"Wally?," I question.

He turns to look at me, smiling widely as he does. "Hey, legs," he greets me with a whistling sound added at the end.

I glance down, seeing that I am only wearing and black t-shirt with Nightwing's blue bird insignia on it and a pair of Richard's boxers, which I find most comfortable to sleep in, but it also means my legs are mostly bare. I frown at my chosen's "soul mate," as he calls himself. "I do not mean to sound rude, but why are you here?"

He takes another bite of his sandwich, making sure to chew and swallow before answering. "I'm Starfire sitting."

"Starfire sitting?," I repeat, cocking my head to the side.

He nods. "Yup, I'm under specific instructions to..." he pauses, pulling a piece of paper out of his pocket to read it. "Make sure you don't kill and or main anyone when you go shopping, carry all items you buy to your vehicle for you, take you to lunch after you're through shopping, help you paint and any other things you decide to do, make sure you take breaks so you don't over work yourself, and give you foot messages." He looked back up from the list. "Basically I'm your slave for the day." He holds his arms out to me dramatically "Now, c'mere and use me."

I giggle at his theatrics before my face turns serious and I realize something. "Richard put you up to this, yes?"

"Pretty much. He gave a hundred bucks to take you to eat. We're so going to a buffet. These little fancy restaurants you guys go to don't give you enough food to feel me up for more than a few minutes."

I frown, not really listening to Wally's babbling. "I do not need to be taken care of. I am an adult, a warrior, more than capable of taking care of myself. It upsets me that he does not believe I can do so." I have never been a fan of someone doing things for me. I like when Richard does, but that is a show of affection. Whenever someone else does, I just feel as if they believe that I am not capable of handling the task and I do not like Richard calling Wally to help me, especially without me knowing of it beforehand. I know the only reason he did not tell me is because he knew I would have refused.

Wally's face turns somewhat serious and he stands to his feet before walking over to me. "Star, that's not it at all. Your just carrying his kid," he say as he gives my stomach a little tickle, causing an involuntarily giggle escape me. "He's going to be protective. He knows you're a badass, we all do, but even badasses can be pampered from time to time and if it really bothers you that much, we can run away together and get married. I more than happy to let care of yourself and me... plus we'd be the hottest red-headed couple on the planet," he jokes, nudging me with his elbow

I try to hold my frown, but find it impossible. I want to be irrationally angry, but Wally just has to ruin it. A laugh escape me, one that I am unable to stifle.

Wally grins and continues. "I mean, think about how beautiful are kids would be, your eyes and legs, my everything else. They would totally be sex symbols for redhead every where."

"Oh yes, because every mother wishes for her child to be a sex symbol," I laugh.

"Exactly." He grabs my shoulders and turns me to face the way from which I had come before pushing me off, slapping me on my bottom as he does. "Now, hurry up and get your fine ass ready, so we can go make babies."

"Go to the stores of hardware," I correct him as I proceed back up the stairs, an amused smile on my face.

"Is that what the kids are calling it these days?," I hear him call.

I giggle and shake my head. Only Wally.

* * *

**First Day**

Tuesday, August 13th 4:00 PM - Bludhaven Police department

Starfire's POV

I sit at the desk I was assigned by commissioner Andrews, busy translating drug cartel documents from Spanish to English. It is my first day on the job, but they are not doing the taking it easy on me, something I am most thankful for. I do not like being babied through things.

Richard was correct in that the interview was just a formality. He was indeed impressed with my language skills and I do believe having Bruce Wayne, Lucius Fox, and Dick Grayson as my references helped my odds greatly. Bruce and Mr. Fox would not have given me a reference unless they knew I was a capable and efficient worker, so I am proud of myself for earning their respect as a worker during my stint with Wayne Enterprises'. My language degree from NYU most likely looked impressive on my resume as well.

Though the work is abundant, the people are most nice. There are three other translators, two women and a man and they are quite welcoming, as are the officers, most of whom know me, or rather Kori, quite well, since Richard is friends with majority of them and everyone knows that we not only used to date, but are back together. They enjoy teasing me, but I find them amusing. It would be nice if Richard would come back to law enforcement after the pregnancy is over. This job is more entertaining to me than being a secretary, it fits my skills better, and I do enjoy working with him. I shall probably discuss it with him at some point in the future.

I am nearly done with the tenth page of the documents when I hear an all to familiar voice coming from around the corner, completely breaking my concentration in the process. "...And that's when I made the bust. Found a few million dollars worth of cocaine, detained the traffickers, and located some documents sent down from the higher-ups."

Just as I suspected, Nightwing comes walking around the corner, Commissioner Andrews at his side and two officers carrying bags of the white powder known as cocaine to the evidence room following behind. My first reaction is to want to run up to him and kiss him, but I know I cannot do that because Kori Anders does not know Nightwing, so I just have to sit back and attempt to control my hormones.

"Have I mentioned how good it is to have you back in town?," Commissioner Andrews says with a grin.

Nightwing chuckles a little. "Twelve times, actually."

"Well, you keep making busts like this and you'll be hearing it a lot more." The commissioner pauses and looks towards his door as his phone rings. "I have to get that. Take those documents over to Ms. Anders, if you would," he motions toward me.

Yes! Deep breaths. Calm down, Koriand'r.

Nightwing nods before turning on his heals and walks in my direction. I can tell that he is fighting to not smile, just as I am fighting to hold back a squeal. He pauses in front of my desk and extends his hand out to me. "Hello, you are Mrs. Anders, right?"

I smile at him politely and shake his hand as if we have never met before. It is very hard to keep our cover when all I can do is think about kissing him. "Yes, but please, call me Kori."

He nods and hands me the documents. "Well Kori, I hate to inform you that I have brought you more work to do, even though I'm sure you are busy enough."

I giggle. "Oh, that is quite alright. It is my first day and I do enjoy that they are not doing the taking things easy on me. My shift is nearly over any the way, so I shall most likely start on these tomorrow. My boyfriend, Dick Grayson, I am sure you have heard of him, is supposed to be meeting me for dinner directly after I leave. I am curious if that is still scheduled, but if it is not, then I shall bring them home with me tonight."

He waves his hands dismissively. "I'm sure your boyfriend wants to spend time with you. Just leave the documents here and worry about them tomorrow."

I nod knowingly up at him and smile, glad our plans are still on. "Very well. It was very pleasant to meet you, Nightwing."

He smiles down at me and I know he is enjoying the acting we are doing. "You as well, Kori. I'll be seeing you around." He gives me a two finger salute before walking off in the direction he came and I take a moment to admire his finer... assets. Shaking my head to get my mind focused again, I look down at the documents, finding a sticky note on the top page that I had not previously noticed.

_'Love you, Star. See you at dinner,' _it reads in Romani, his biological mother's native language.

I smile.

* * *

**Gender**

Saturday, September 6th 7:00 AM - Richard and Starfire's house

Starfire's POV

I lay half awake in bed, aware the Richard is still asleep next to me. I can feel his hot breath exhale against my bare shoulder and his arm is slung over my lower torso. He smells absolutely enticing and find myself beginning to run my hands all along his upper body, only pausing when another smell enters my noise. It is definitely female, but... something is odd. It smells like a mixture of me and him and... Oh X'hal.

In a burst of excitement, I shake Richard awake, somewhat violently at that. "Richard, wake this instant!"

He quickly sits up in a bed an instantly puts his hands up as if preparing for a fight. "What's going on?," he asks as he examines the room, finding no danger.

I grab his shoulders and turn him to face me before placing a hard kiss on his lips out of pure joy. "We are having a girl!

Richard's eyes widen slightly and he looks from face down to my bare stomach. "A girl? How can you tell?," he questions.

"I can smell the difference. It is a little early for the scents to differentiate themselves, but I am certain that our child is female," I elaborate with a beaming smile.

He is quite for a moment, just staring at my stomach. A slow smile begins to break out on his face that quickly turns into a laugh as he rests his forehead against my abdomen. "Oh, you are going to drive me crazy. Just so you know, you're not dating until you're thirty and you'll be going to an all girls school."

I giggle and lightly slap him on the back of the head. "She may do the dating." Oh, how good it feels to not call our child 'it' anymore. "We shall just have to meet the boy first."

"You mean interrogate," he growls into my stomach.

"No, I mean meet. We must trust our child to make the right decisions. You cannot act like Bruce or it shall drive her away from us like he did you in your childhood," I say in a soft tone, so that he will not think I am just trying to argue with him.

He groans and rests his head against my naked thigh and I have to take a moment to get my mind out of the gutter, as they say. "I thought you were supposed to be irrational. Stop making sense."

I giggle and stroke my hands through his hair. "You know, you are going to be a glorious father... as long as I am around to keep you in check of course."

Richard laughs and raises up so that he was sitting beside me before wrapping his arms around my waist. "Oh, but of course." He places a soft kiss against my lips. "I guess we better go buy a lot pink things now, huh?"

I bite on my lower lip, dropping my eyes for a moment. "I know it is customary for a female Earth infant to be clothed in pink, but could we not clothe ours in purple?"

He raises an eyebrow. "Sure, but why?"

"I have been thinking very hard on this and I have decided that I wish for our child to learn Tameran's culture, after all she is half Tameranian, and purple is the royal color of Tameran," I explain.

He smiles. "I think it's great you want to teach our daughter about your culture."

I beam a smile. "Oh, that is good because I believe I know what I wish to name her... if you do not mind, that is."

"What?," he inquires.

I fiddle with my fingers a moment before replying. "Mar'i." Richard's mother's name was Mary, so I thought it would be nice to name our child after his biological grandmother. "We could spell it the Tameranian way, so that way, she would always carry apart of both of us and I think it would..." I continue to ramble nervously before his lips take mine in warm kiss.

"Thank you," he whispers. "I love that you thought of that... I honestly had considered it myself."

We share a long, lingering hug, full of pure love and joy and for some reason my eyes begin to water. We are one step closer to becoming a family, just him, Silkie, I, and now our Mariand'r.

* * *

**I enjoyed writing this. I wanted to make Starfire more reliant on herself and show the aspects of her and Richard's relationship. Next Chapter: Starfire officially looses her shit, Mar'i joins the family, and someone comes to town, trouble following him. Happy Thanksgiving and Review. Not updating until I get 300 reviews, rather that's two days or a month.**


	16. The Road To Parenthood - Part Two

Chapter Fifteen - Road To parenthood - part two

* * *

**Here We Go**

Saturday, October 12th 9:00 AM - Richard and Starfire's house

3rd person POV

Starfire stared down at the front page of the Bludhaven Times' news paper, her eyes glowing bright green in a blinding rage as she read over the article and glared down at its cover picture.

_'Gotham's Prince and Princess Expecting Their First Child After Recent Rekindlement,' _the headline read, under it being a picture of Kori walking down a street in Gotham, along side Selina and Babs, a small but noticeable baby bump beginning to show itself as she reached the three months point in her pregnancy.

Over the last few days her emotions had become much harder to control, but this really set her off. "How dare they say I am pregnant?!," she growled, her teeth grinding together as she did.

Richard raised an eyebrow from the other side of the kitchen table where he sat drinking his coffee. "Umm, baby... I hate to break it to you, but you are pregnant." He knew the media would eventually figure it out, which meant it was time to lock Starfire up in the house for the next five months. The last thing he needed was for some idiotic reporter to shove a camera in her face and she blast them with a starbolt.

She raised her glare off the paper and fixated it on him. "I know this, but they do not need to. Them calling me pregnant is just a nice way of calling me fat!"

"Starfire, you're going to gain a little weight and get a pot belly. It's just apart of having a baby. With your metabolism, it'll burn right off once Mar'i is born."

"Oh, so now you are calling me fat as well?," she growled, crushing the news paper in her hand before burning it out of existence with a starbolt.

Richard held back a groan. He knew this was coming, she had warned him, but he just didn't know if he could handle it for five months... then again, he didn't have much of a choice. "I'm not calling you anything, Star." He gave her his best charming smile, hoping she'd give in. "Now, c'mere and cuddle with me."

She made a 'humph' sound and turned her back to him, crossing her arms over her chest. "No, if you find me fat then I shall not cuddle with you, I shall not let you see me without clothing either, since I am suddenly so unattractive to you."

Richard's brow scrunched. Where was she coming up with any of this? Fighting back a sigh, he stood to his feet and approached her. "Baby, I think you're the most beautiful woman in the universe and you're not fat, you're pregnant."

She just gave him another 'humph' before walking out of the kitchen, royally pissed off.

Richard released the frustrated sigh he had been holding in before collapsing back into his chair. "Just five more months, Dick," he told himself. "Just five more long, agonizing months and then you get your somewhat normal Starfire back. You can do this."

He reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone calling Lucius Fox's personal cell. It rung twice before the old man answered. "Good morning, Dick."

"Morning, Lucius," Richard greeted in return.

"What do I owe the pleasure?," he asked.

"Well, I may need some time off. Starfire's pregnancy is finally hitting her and well... she has gone a little crazy." He paused, suddenly able to hear her ranting in Tameranian from the living room. "Okay, completely crazy. I can do all the work from home, but I think I need to be close to her, make sure she's okay and everything."

"No problem. Bruce already informed me that you may have to work from home for a certain amount of time. I wish you good luck."

"Thank you. I'm going to need it."

The two men traded good-byes and well wishes before hanging up. Richard was certainly thankful that he didn't have to lie about anything to his boss. Lucius was one of the very few citizens to be heavily involved with the Bat Family and he knew Starfire quite well outside of her Kori disguise.

Right as Richard leaned back in his chair, glad to have a moment of silence, Starfire came walking through the kitchen door, tears now flowing heavily from her eyes. "I am sorry I did the overreacting. Do not be upset with me."

Richard smiled lightly and opened his arms out to her, signaling her wanted to come to him. For once her rapidly shifting mood swings played in his favor because she timidly walked over and took a set in his lap before wrapping her arms around him.

He slowly stroked his hand through her hair and whispered 'shh' into her ear to calm her crying. "I'm not mad, baby. I know your emotional and a little confused, but that's okay. You're a pregnant Tameranian, you have every right to be a little irrational."

She sniffed and buried her face in the crook of his neck. "Thank You for understanding. But are sure I am not unattractive to you?"

He kissed her shoulder and gave her a tight squeeze. "Like I said, you're the most beautiful women in the universe. You're so beautiful in fact, that I decided to take some time off from work, so I could spend it with you."

"That sounds nice. I love you," she murmured.

"I love you too."

He felt her place a hard, wet kiss on his cheek and once she pulled back to look him in the face, her tears were replaced by a beaming smile. "I shall make you the breaking of fast and then we may do the cuddling and watch movies, yes?"

"Sounds good," he agreed with a nod, but once she turned away to cheerfully begin her task, he muttered, "here we go" exasperatedly.

Three months down, five to go...

* * *

**Just Say No**

Friday, October 31st 7:00 PM - Richard and Starfire's house

3rd person POV

"Please," she begged, clenching his arm for dear life.

"No," he refused once again as he changed to channel on the living room television in front of him.

"I promise I shall behave," she assured him.

"You spent four hours growling at Wally yesterday, just because he was in the same room as me. Sorry Star, can't take you trick or treating," Richard stated definitely. "It's just to dangerous." Starfire had been trick or treating every single year she had been on Earth, even though many people had told her she was to old for such an activity. She didn't really care what any had to say, all she knew was they were giving away free candy. How can you be to old for candy? It just didn't make sense.

"But Richard," she whined, shaking his harm slightly to get his full attention. "Candy."

"I'll go buy you some candy, all that you want, but you can't go. I know, you don't like being locked up all day, but we can't risk you losing your cool in public."

"It is below freezing outside. It shall be abundantly cool," she argued.

He turned to her and frowned. "The naïve alien act is still adorable, but it's not going to work." He knew she over played her 'I'm an alien' card at times to get him to give into her wants, and most of the time he'd let it work. This wasn't one of those times.

She just huffed and crossed her arms over her chest before sitting back on the couch and pouting like a child would. He had certainly earned the silent treatment for the next fifteen minutes until she had another mood swing.

They sat in silence for awhile, him watching television and her give him sideways glares, which eventually softened into pleading eyes once again. Maybe is she tried just once more with her best puppy dog eyes, he we take her. "Richard..."

"No."

* * *

**Booty Call**

Monday, November 15th 12:00 AM - Streets of Bludhaven

3rd person POV

"The targets are in sight," Nightwing spoke into his ear piece as he, Batman, Batgirl, and Robin watched some traffickers load a shipment of some form of drug off a boat and into a warehouse from the roof of a nearby building.

_"Rodger. Can you tell how many men there are?" _came Oracle's voice.

"Get a visual, Tim," Nightwing ordered.

The new Batman nodded and took a pair of binoculars out from his utility belt before scanning the area below. "Looks like nine visible, but there are four more heat signatures coming from within the warehouse. The drug looks like cocaine, maybe a couple of million dollars worth of it, probably more on the ship to be unloaded."

Nightwing nodded. "We'll let them finish unloading before we take them down. If we attack the ship it might scare whoever the supplier is off before we get a chance to find out who they are."

They waited in complete silence for a moment before a voice came over the ear piece and Nightwing's heart almost stopped in his chest. _"Oh, Nightwing,"_ Starfire sang, causing everyone to stare up at him with raised eyebrows. He fought to not groan, knowing she had made her way into the basement to retrieve an earpiece, her purpose being only X'hal knows what. She was getting more unpredictable by the day.

"Um, hey Star. Anything you need? Kind of busy," he said, keeping his voice light, so not to evoke the wrath of Koriand'r, warrior princess of Tameran or even worse, end up sleeping in the guest room for the next two days.

_"I am sure you are not to busy for your Starfire, now are you? I wish for you to return home, so we may play. I will preform the job of blowing on you," _came her seductive voice, causing everyone's eyes to widen and for Nightwing to run his hand down his face in embarrassment, his cheeks turning slightly redder and not from the cold.

"Starfire, this is an open feed. Everyone just heard you," he scolded in a hushed tone, so to not alert the men below to their presence.

_"Greetings, everyone,"_ she said as if it were no big deal. _"Now, please hurry. I am getting quite lonely and desire your presence."_

He sighed, but couldn't stop the smile from appearing on his face. "I'll be home soon, Baby."

_"Glorious! I shall be waiting in the bed... Oh, and please, I wish for a mustard pizza, with mint frosting, pickles, anchovies, gummy bears, and tartar sauce. It would be most appreciated if you would pick it up on your way home. I get most famished after the rough sex."_

"Star!" She rarely had a filter at any point in time, but she would say anything lately, without any care to who was around. Wally, Bee, Vic, and Gar found her hilarious, Richard however was just embarrassed, not of her, but rather her bluntness. "You know what? Fine. Mustered pizza with all your favorite toppings. Got it. Go lay down," he instructed almost pleadingly.

_"Very well. I love you," _she sang once again before her frequency dropped.

Everything was quite a moment before Tim spoke up with a smirk. "So... the job of blowing, huh?"

_"Rough sex?,"_ came Oracle's amused voice.

"I'll never look at you two the same way again," Robin said, looking almost disgusted as involuntary mental images flashed through his mind.

Nightwing just groaned.

* * *

**Decisions**

Thursday, November 28th 12:00 PM - Wayne Manor

3rd person POV

While Alfred and an increasingly pregnant Starfire worked on preparing the Thanksgiving feast in Wayne Manor's family kitchen, Bruce, Richard, and Tim all settled in the Batcave, engaged in a serious conversation. The topic of choice currently was the increased importation of Drugs, specifically cocaine.

"I don't understand, why the sudden influx?," Tim asked, looking between Bruce, who set in the computer chair in front of the Batcomputer and Richard, who leaned against the near wall of the cave. "It's always been bad here, but this is crazy."

"I don't know," Richard shrugged. "I've made nine busts in the last month and that's in Bludhaven alone. All the documents I have recovered are in Spanish, but Mexico is just where the drugs are being manufactured. We still don't know who or where the big boss is and the documents are encrypted with code words. I just looks like gibberish when converted to English. "

"Yeah, and the traffickers won't talk, not that they probably know a whole lot. There nothing more than pawns on a chessboard, but there still scared of something, something they fear more than Nightwing and Batman. We're getting nowhere," Tim added.

Bruce seemed to be in deep thought a moment before speaking. "Something is definitely up. We just don't have enough information to proceed. The best thing we can do right now is keep making the busts. Some shipments will slip under our nose, but we should be able to stop most of the imports. Eventually they'll slip up and we'll bring them down."

Richard and Tim nodded, respecting their father's knowledge. His body may be done, but his mind still had a lot to offer and he often helped with the trickier cases such as the current one.

"Anyway," Richard began, the changing of his tone from serious to nervous getting both Bruce's and Tim's attention. "I've been thinking about this... a lot actually, and..." He trailed off as he reached into his pocket and pulled out the very engagement ring his father used to purpose to his mother. "I'm going to ask Starfire to marry me."

"Wow," Tim began as he examined the diamond ring. "You sure, bro? I know you love her and you guys have a kid on the way, but that's a big step."

Bruce nodded. "Agreed. You're still in the honeymoon phase of your rekindlement. There's no need to make a rash decision that you could regret later."

Richard's posture straightened and he looked directly into the eyes of his father, who seemed a little more critical than his brother on the matter. "I've been in love with her since the first time she smiled at me and nothing has changed since then. Yes, we have had problems and doubts, but all of that is in the past. We are mature now, we make decisions together instead of just doing what we want. We may have only been back together for four months, but love can't wait."

Bruce was quite for a moment, analyzing the entire situation, before he finally nodded. "When?"

Richard smiled, happy with his father's acceptance. "New Years Eve. I have something big planned."

* * *

**Will You Marry Me?**

Friday, December 31st 11:55 PM - out skirts of Bludhaven

3rd person POV

Richard and Starfire stood on top of a secluded grassy hill, watching the beautiful firework's show in the starry sky above. The city did one every year, but thanks to a generous donation by none other than Dick Grayson himself, this year's finale was sure to be spectacular beyond words. He had spent nearly two months planning this and after talking with the man who was in charge of the show, he agreed to help him pull off what he had planned, which was nothing short of breathtaking... or at least, that's what he was shooting for.

Starfire snuggled back against her boyfriend, running her hands along his arms that were wrapped around her baby inflated stomach as she stared up into the sky, watching the beautiful display of endless colors exploding into the night. "It is so beautiful," she commented as her mind flashed back to her first year on Earth when Robin had took her on the Ferris wheel in Jump City to view them.

Things had changed so much since then. For one, they were nothing more than friends at that time, clear to anyone else's eyes that they were in love with each other, but still just friends. It took Robin forever to finally give in, but she knew, or at least hoped, that he one day would. Now they had not only a relationship, but an entire life together, a soon to be daughter, and if everything went the way she wanted it to, they had forever.

"Yep, beautiful," Richard replied, placing a kiss on the top of her head. Midnight just being a minute away, he was becoming increasingly nervous, his heart pounding like a drum in his chest. This was by far the biggest decision he would ever make, but nevertheless, he had no doubt that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her, wanted her beside him forever, wanted her face to be the one he saw every morning when he opened his eyes, and this was just the next step to achieving that. He glanced down at his watch right as it struck twelve and right on time, the finale exploded into the sky. This was the moment, this was the beginning of forever.

Starfire watched in curious amazement as the fireworks began to spell words. _"Will you marry me?,"_ it read in all greens and purples, her two favorite colors. She smiled up at how creative it was for someone to ask their girlfriend to marry them that way. It was very elaborate and probably took a lot of planning. "Richard, look at..." she paused when she turned around to find him on one knee, holding a beautiful diamond ring out to her, a light smile on his face as his eyes glowed in the moonlight shining above. She almost fainted right then.

"Oh, X'hal," she breathed, covering her face in her hands, unable to even begin to comprehend that this was actually happening. He smiled lovingly as tears started to gather in her eyes and she began to jump in pure joy, squealing loudly as she did. It was just the reaction he wanted.

Taking a deep breath, he took one of her hands in his own. "My dad gave my mom this very ring when he asked her to marry him. He loved her more than anything, just like I love you, so it's only fitting that this be the ring on your finger for the rest of our lives... Star, I want to give you everything I can, including myself, every part of me, heart, body, and soul. You mean absolutely everything to me, you are my world, my life, the reason I breathe, and I can't live with you. I think it's been established that if you are not in my life, then I'm nothing, so be my angel and save me from myself, my star to guide me through the darkness, my wings for when I fall, and most importantly..." He paused, just staring into her teary green orbs as she waited anxiously for the question that she had dreamt of countless times to be asked "...please be my wife?"

She dropped to her knees and wrapped him in the tightest hug that her bulging belly would allow. "Yes! Yes! Yes!," she practically screamed as she cried roughly into his neck. She had wanted this for so long, longer than she could even remember and the way that he had asked her made it all the more amazing. She could have never expected anything like this when he asked her if she wanted to watch the firework's show that night, but she was so ecstatic that it had. "I love you. I love you so much."

"Tonight is the first night of forever," he whispered as he leaned back and slipped the diamond ring onto her finger, the place where it truly belonged. "And you are my forever."

Starfire cried for the next hour, a wave of joy like she had never before felt washing over her like rain falling from the sky. If this was truly the start of forever, then forever started perfectly.

* * *

**The Morning After**

Friday, January 1st 11:00 AM - Richard and Starfire's house

3rd person POV

With Richard gone on a food run to satisfy one of his new fiancé's many daily cravings, Starfire settled herself in the recliner in front of the open fire burning within the fire-place, the only place she could comfortably sit anymore with her swelled belly, and placed a laptop on her thighs, preparing to Skype with Donna, so she could tell her the news.

Skype was really the only visual contact she could have with her female friends at this point. If any of them actually came over, she would cling to Richard and growl warningly at them the entire time they were there. She could be around them without any sorts of problem if Richard wasn't around, but if he just so happened to walk into the room, then she just lost herself, instantly becoming extremely protective, her eyes glowing green, her teeth clenched to make her growl more threatening, even her already toned muscles seemed to enlarge themselves. Basically what it boiled down to was, it was really just to dangerous to see any female in person, and being the social butterfly that she was, it made this her last option for facial contact.

As she relaxed back against the recliner and waited for the laptop to turn on, she found herself staring down at her engagement ring. The golden band and mid-sized diamond were beautiful, but the meaning is what truly made her heart flutter. It was his biological mom's ring and she knew that it meant a lot to him, so it made it all the more special. He could have easily went out to some fancy Italian jewelry store and bought her a million dollar ring, but their would have been no meaning behind it. The fact that he wanted her to have this ring, meant the world to her. It told her that he really believed that this was going to last forever, something she desperately hoped would come to true.

After they returned home the previous night, they hadn't had sex like in the movies, her baby bump almost prevented it at this point anyway. They just held each other close, whispering how much they loved one another into each other's ears, taking breaks only for soft kisses to be shared. It was by far the most romantic night of her life.

Smiling to herself, she turned her attention to the computer screen in front of her and activated her Skype account. Within moments Donna's face appeared on the screen, smiling brightly back at her. "Hey Star, how you doing this morning?"

"Greetings, Donna. My feet are slightly swelled, I am starving, and Richard had to assist me in getting out of bed this morning, but things are most glorious," Starfire cheerfully replied.

Donna laughed at the mental of image of Starfire rolling in the bed like a turtle on its back before refocusing on the screen. "Why don't you get your boy toy to give you a foot massage?"

"Oh, I am sure he shall later, he tries to keep me as relaxed and comfortable as possible, but right now he is gone to the store to retrieve cookies and gummy bears," she answered.

"Food cravings?"

Starfire nodded. "Yes, they occur a few times a day and Richard must run to the store to retrieve whatever I wish for. I know it is most likely frustrating at times, but he has not complained once." She sighed happily. "He truly is wonderful to me."

Donna laughed. "Yeah, now the only question is when he is going to ask you to marry him."

Starfire beamed a smile so big that it's brightness could have put the sun to shame. "Well..." she began suggestively.

Donna's eye widened in disbelief. "He did not!," she exclaimed, becoming filled with excitement.

Starfire held up her ringed hand if front of the screen and squealed, feeding off the nostalgia burning within her. "He did! Last night he asked me if I wished to got to Bludhaven's firework show. I had not been out of the house in a few days at that time, so I was eager to go anywhere. The fireworks were most beautiful, but the finale was truly amazing. It shot up into the air and words began to form that said 'will you marry me?'. I thought it as amazing that someone would purpose that way, but when I turned to ask Richard if he was seeing it, he was down on one knee, just like in the movies, and he had his mother's ring held out to me. He said all of these wonderful things that made my heart soar before he finally asked me."

She let out a slight giggle. "I am sure he is deaf in his left ear from me screaming yes and repeating I love you over and over again."

Donna wiped away the gathering tears in her eyes and smiled at her friend. "That is so romantic. Do you know a date or anything yet?"

"We only had a brief discussion on the details this morning, but I suggested that we wait possibly six months after Mar'i was born, so I have time to plan everything properly and lose the extra wait gained, which should not be to difficult. Tameranian's metabolism are similar to that of Wally's. He said I could do what I wish with the wedding, but I shall need help and I do not believe any of the boys shall be to eager to get involved."

Donna waved her off. "Men are useless when it comes to these types of things anyway. Will get the girls together once Mar'i is born and go over everything."

Starfire beamed a smile. "Glorious."

* * *

**False Alarm**

Wednesday, February 19th 7:00 PM - Warehouse

3rd person POV

Nightwing flipped over a swing of a crow bar, kicking it's wielder in the back of the head as he did. The large, bald man, clothed in a leather jacket fell to the ground, leaving Nightwing to turn his attention to the other traffickers. One man, who was apparently feeling very sure of himself at the moment, charged at him with a crowbar in hand. Nightwing quickly disarmed him, before sweeping his legs out from under the guy, followed by a powerful blow to the face, rendering him unconscious.

A bullet struck the metal plating of his shoulder, causing it to insignificantly bounce off. He calculated the trajectory of it in his head to determine the location of its shooter before quickly withdrawing a night-a-rang and slinging in that direction, causing a yelp of pain to escape a man as it penetrated his hand, his gun dropping to the ground as a result.

Nightwing quickly subdued him as well as the other few men left standing, before tying them all together until the cops showed up. With that problem down, he began to search the warehouse for any clues to who the kingpin of the whole organization was, only coming up with more documents in Spanish. He could tell just by glancing over them that they were nothing more than coded gibberish. Things would be a lot easier if they could just get one of these men to talk, but something, or rather someone had them spooked enough that they would rather spend years in prison than give information. Usually criminals couldn't wait to rat each other out to get themselves out of trouble, so this was frustrating to say the least.

He took out his hero phone and contacted the authorities and was about to leave when Starfire's voice came over his ear piece, but instead of sounding flirty or bored, she was panicked. _"Richard... It is time! The baby is coming! I am having contractions!,"_ she said quickly, clearly breathing heavily.

"Nightwing's eyes widened behind his mask and his heart completely stopped in his chest. "Oh, shit. Um okay, call Raven and I'll be home as fast as I can." Obviously they couldn't have this child at the hospital. It's traits were unpredictable. It would be hard to explain it having Starfire's eyes and possibly floating in the air, so that left Raven as their only option to perform the water birth that they had planned.

_"Very well. Please hurry, I need you here for this," _she pleaded.

He ran out to the N-cycle, not caring about any other thing than getting back to his house. "I'm coming baby, I'm on my way right now. Go run the bath water and get Raven. I'll be there before you know it."

The feed dropped as Nightwing sped off, going from zero to a hundred in record-breaking speed. He was on the highway in less than a minute and was making excellent time, but lady luck did not seem to be with him that night, because no sooner than he made it to the right intersection, did he find a wreck up ahead, causing all traffic to come to a stop, seeming to be backed up for almost a mile.

Normally he would be more than content to patiently wait in the traffic, spending his time playing with the kids who watched him from the back seat windows in amazement, but he did not have time for this shit tonight. He revved the N-cycle and darted toward the traffic, popping a wheelie at the last second to drive directly down the middle of the halted cars. He had to go at maximum velocity or else he would just topple over and land on some poor person's vehicle, who was probably already in a bad mood from being stuck in traffic, so the last thing they need was for that to happen.

Once passed the cars he came to the wreck and was just going to drive by it, but when he saw that there was women crying roughly in front of her overturned SUV, he instinctively brought his bike to a stop, ignoring his want to just keep going. He would just have to be quick.

Nightwing rushed off his motorcycle over to the woman's side. Before he said anything, he followed his training a gained as much information as he could just by observing. She was crying frantically, but didn't seemed to be injured in any way, so the tears were likely not from pain. He glanced at the SUV, specifically at the broken back window, finding a crying little girl seemingly jammed in between the front and back seats, unable to move. If the car was leaking oil or gas it could blow up at in second, killing her in the process. He couldn't just leave her, he refused to. If she died it would be his fault because he could have done something and he would not wake up everyday for the rest of his life with that guilt consuming him.

When the woman realized who the presence was standing beside her, she instantly grabbed onto him, her tear-filled eyes pleading for her daughter's salvation. "Nightwing, please help my baby. The ambulance is taking to long. Please, she could die. Please, don't let her die, she's just a little girl, she doesn't deserve this."

"Ma'am, calm down. I'm going to do everything I can," he assured before rushing over to the SUV. Nightwing broke out the remainder of the glass from the back window before sliding his way in. He saw that the front seat had the girl's leg trapped between its back and the edge of her car seat, so this was going to take a few minutes.

When the girl saw him, her tears seemed to ease a little and her body relaxed slightly. Nightwing gave her a comforting smile as he rolled onto his back to look at her. "Hi, what's your name?," he asked softly as he withdrew a night-rang from his utility belt and began to cut through the straps of the car seat.

"Mary," she answered as she wiped the tears from her eyes, his calm voice having a soothing effect on her.

"That's a pretty name. My mother's name was Mary and so is my daughter's," he said, smiling up at her. He would never divulge such information to an adult, but this girl was barely four or five, plus kids responded better to personal things, it calmed them.

She giggled slightly down at him. "Superheroes have kids?"

"Oh yeah, I'm a normal person just like you and your mom. My girlfriend is named Starfire, she's the super one. She's an alien from the planet Tameran. You've probably seen her on television before," he informed, doing his best to keep his own voice calm even though he knew they were running out of time. He could already smell the gas leaking and hear people call that the car was smoking from the outside, but he had to ignore them, he had to work faster, he had to save her.

She nodded. "I have seen her on t.v, she is very pretty. Can you tell me about her?"

"Okay," he agreed with a smile. "Well, I met her when I was just fifteen is a place in California called Jump City. She was very confused and some other aliens had been mean to her and locked her up, so she was trying to get free from her binds, which caused her to wreck the city pretty much. We fought, me trying to stop her, but then another one of our friends, a woman named Raven, told me to try talking to her. Long story short, I set her free and together with our friends, we beat up the mean aliens and she decided to stay on Earth."

Just two more straps to go. He could do this. He had to. "That's when the Teen Titans were formed. We lived in a giant T shaped house on an island for a long time and over those years I got to know her like the back of my hand. She's absolutely crazy, but is the most loving person in the world, willing to give everyone love even if they give her none in return. People from her past have been very mean to her, but she doesn't dwell, preferring to live in the present. She is the most amazing person I know. It took me a long time to give into her, two years in fact, because boys are stupid creatures as you'll find out, but once I did, she changed my whole life. I love her very much."

"Are you going to marry her?," Mary asked.

He nodded. "Yup, just proposed to her not too long ago." Before Mary could reply, an explosion from the front end of the SUV, rocked the entire vehicle. Mary screamed right as Nightwing cut through last strap and in a flow of pure adrenaline, yanked her legs free before hurriedly pulling her from the burning vehicle right as it exploded, causing the two to be blasted a good ten feet back, Nightwing taking most of the blow.

The woman rushed to their side as the now gathered crowd looked on, giving an ovation of applause to the hero. Mary wrapped her arms around her crying mother as Nightwing slowly stood to his feet, feeling the effects of the blast. He had landed on his leg pretty hard. The next thing he knew, he felt himself being wrapped in a tight hugs by the mother, who had her arms around his neck and Mary, who was clinging to his leg. "Thank you," she cried into his shoulder. "Thank you for saving my daughter."

He smiled and patted her on the back with one hand as his other ran through Mary's hair. "Don't mention it. It's my job, but if you'll excuse me, I have somewhere I'm supposed to be at the present." Now, that he accomplished that, it was time to refocus.

The woman leaned back and smiled before pulling him into an emotion filled kiss, causing his eyes to widen and the crowd to make cat calls and whistling sounds. "Just a little extra thanks," she murmured against his lips before pulling away, sure her husband wouldn't mind when he saw it on the news.

Nightwing coughed a few times before smiling and nodding. He ruffled Mary's hair and kissed her cheek before limping back to his bike, saluting the cheering crowd as he did. Mounting the N-cycle, he mumbled, "not telling Star about that one."

And Just as quickly as he appeared, he was gone, off to the Nightwatch, where upon reaching, he quickly parked the N-cycle and rushed into the Zeta Tube, teleporting himself to his house's basement. He ran up the steps with the speed of an Olympic track athlete, despite his badly hurting leg, but when he burst through the door of his living room, he came to an abrupt stop when he found a heavily pregnant Starfire sitting on the couch, watch some romance movie and eating cheese puffs.

He pulled off his mask and stared dumbfoundedly at her. "Star, what are you doing? I thought you were having contractions?"

She looked over at him and smiled. "Greetings, Richard. And no, it was just the alarm of falseness." She giggled and blushed, her face looking adorable in her embarrassment. "I only had the gas."

Richard was quite for a moment, and she feared that he was upset with her, but then he burst into laughter, muttered something like "all that trouble over gas."

* * *

**The Second Alarm**

Saturday, March 1st 3:00 PM - Richard and Starfire's house

3rd person POV

The second alarm, unlike the first, was no joke, and with Raven's assistance, Mar'i Joanna Grayson was brought into the world on March first at three PM, to a loving mom and dad, who couldn't have been more happy...

* * *

**Next chapter: One moth after Mari's birth we catch up with the new family and everything goes down hill from there. Time to ruin the happiness, no? Not overly enthusiastic about the amount of reviews from last chapter, so make sure to review.**


	17. Hate How Much I Love You

Chapter Seventeen - Hate How Much I Love You

**MAJOR FEELS!**

**A/N - In the original Teen Titans, Red-X is based off Red Hood, who is Jason Todd, so yes, Red-X is and was Jason Todd. Also, most of you probably know that Paul Walker, the star of the Fast and Furious franchise, died a couple of days ago in a car wreck, which hits home for me because my girlfriend also passed away due to a car accident two years ago, so pray to whoever you pray to for his family.**

* * *

Monday April, 1st 8:00 AM - Richard and Starfire's house

3rd person POV

Starfire felt herself being shook awake and with a very content smile, she blinked open her eyes, finding her amazing fiancé standing above her. "Hey beautiful, I'm off to work. I'll call during lunch and check up, okay?"

"Very well," she nodded before poking out her lips, coaxing him to kiss her, which he did without hesitation. "I love you," she murmured as she snuggled back into her pillows and reclosed her eyes. Last night had been her turn to attend to Mar'i every time she woke up crying, three times exactly, so she planned on taking advantage of her last month of maternity leave, and sleep as much as she could.

She heard Richard return her words of affection right before he headed out the room's door and she fell back asleep, managing to get another solid hour's worth before the sound of her daughter crying roused her awake. Tameranians being fiercely protective over their young, she quickly rolled out of the bed and scampered bear-footedly across the hall and into Mari's purple-painted nursery, finding her child rolling in her crib, most likely needing her diaper changed.

As Starfire did that unpleasant task, she gazed down at her and her soul mate's daughter. She was beautiful in every way, having her mother's green eyes and her father's black hair, which sat in curls on her head. Her skin tone could pass for a human with a tan, being a mixture of Richard's and Starfire's, and it was already clear as day that she had her mom's beaming smile. Yes, she was beautiful indeed.

Today she was exactly a month old, but it had been quite the eventful month. Due to her eyes, she had to wear a hologram ring when she went into public, but her first appearance in the world outside of her parent's house, earned her more than one magazine cover. One went as far as to call her America's next golden child. Starfire didn't like that at all, ending up ranting to Richard about it for hours.

She wanted their daughter to have a normal childhood, something not easy to do when both of your parents were famous not only as people, but as Superheroes as well... not to mention the fact you had not only super strength and the ability fly as all Tameranians did, but Starfire's ability to control the energy within herself. It surprised her that the ability to use Starbolts had been genetically passed on, but it somehow had, Wally's left eyebrow discovering that clearly during a game of peekaboo, where in which he scared her and she shot him with a small, purple energy blast. Richard had never been more proud.

When changing Mari's diaper failed to calm her crying, she knew that she either needed food or light, possibly both. Deciding to try food first, she journeyed to the kitchen to retrieve one of her vitamin enriched bottles of milk, specifically formulated by Vic to meet Mari's nutritional needs. Starfire had originally planned to breast feed her daughter, but the thought of it seemed to make Richard uncomfortable, stating he liked to put his mouth there sometimes and it would be weird. Starfire laughed at his reasoning, which she enjoyed teasing him about, but obliged his wishes, the fact being that she liked for him to put his mouth there too.

After retrieving the bottle and feeding Mar'i, who, for the most part, still ceased to stop crying, Starfire came to the realization that she desired sunlight, so she got dressed herself, putting on a pear of Capri pants and a crop top as always, before clothing her daughter in a purple onezy, making sure to slip the hologram ring onto her tiny finger after. She carried her out to her SUV and placed her in the car seat, talking to her as she did. "Perhaps we shall go surprise daddy at work after our trip to the park, yes?"

Mar'i seemed to somewhat comprehend what she was saying and her crying halted for a moment. She loved her daddy. Starfire, or rather Kori, made her way the driver's side of her vehicle before setting off for the park, the radio playing the entire way there. She giggled as Mar'i rocked back and forth in the car seat, her version of dancing apparently. She was just to cute for words.

If Kori had been paying more attention, she might have noticed that she was being shadowed by a red Mustang, but her mind was far to wrapped up in the road ahead of her and watching her daughter in the rear-view mirror. She pulled into the fairly empty park, most people there being old couples walking the track or feeding the ducks and young mothers, like herself, watching their small children play on the playground.

Mar'i of course wasn't old enough for such activities, so Kori just grabbed her daughter and a blanket from the back seat before settling herself out by one of the park's pond's edges, directly in the spring sun light. She laid down, snuggling a now calm Mar'i on her stomach as she allowed the rays to shine down on them. She hadn't realized how badly she actually needed the recharging herself. Taking care of a family was not an easy job by no means, but she truly enjoyed every second of it. It was what she always wanted after all.

Mar'i falling back asleep after around ten minutes, Kori closed her own eyes, lightly humming to herself as her mind sorted through all the things that needed to be done that day. Visit Richard at work, clean the house, make dinner, feed Mar'i, Wedding planning with Donna, lay Mar'i down to sleep, and finally, fun time with Richard. Most would assume that meant sex, but it varied depending on the night. Some times, after an especially exhausting day, they would just relax and watch a movie. Besides, they were looking for some form of Tameranian birth control, which didn't yet exist, so they were taking it easy. No more babies for at least another year or two, that's what they agreed on.

Starfire let out a content sigh, but right as she did, she became aware that someone was standing only a few feet behind her. Richard said he could always feel when he was being watched, and over the years, she had picked up that trait as well. "Hey, cutie," came the all to familiar voice and she quickly sat up and turned, Mar'i thankfully not waking in the process.

There he stood, the fallen angel of the Bat Family, Jason Todd, formally Red-X and now the infamous Red Hood, a ruthless mercenary for hire, willing to kill anyone if the money was right. Kori's eyes began to glow under her hologram ring as she stood to her feet, instinctively putting herself in between Mar'i and Jason, a low warning growl escaping her.

Jason held up his hands with a smirk. "You can put the teeth away, I'm not here to fight."

"Then why are you here?," she sneered in return.

"Can't say hi to an old friend?," he questioned as he made his way down to the water's edge. Even though his hands rested in the pockets of his jeans now, Kori still didn't trust him.

"We are not, nor have ever been, friends. You are a criminal and if I did not have my daughter with me, I would certainly detain you," she retorted.

Jason looked over at her and made a mock hurt face. "Ouch cutie, you sure know how to break a man's heart." He glanced at Mar'i and his face suddenly became serious. "You and Grayson had a kid, huh?" He had already heard, but then again, it was kind of hard not to, even in Asia where he had been until recently.

"Not that it is any of your business, but yes, this is Richard's daughter," she acknowledged.

He just nodded and turned back to the water seemingly thoughtful for a brief moment before he spoke up once again. "You need to leave."

Kori raised an eyebrow at him. "I was here first. You may leave, I am going to enjoy a day in the park with my daughter."

He turned to her, his face suddenly stony serious. "I don't mean the park, I mean Bludhaven in general." He shook his head. "Scratch that, the eastern United States. Go home, pack your things, grab your kid, and go back to your happy fairytale in Jump City. That's why I'm here, to warn you."

"Warn me?," she questioned. "Warn me of what?"

"A storm's coming, one unlike Gotham or Bludhaven has ever seen. These cities will fall, burn to the ground under their own corruption. Grayson will stay, they all will, they'll try to be the valiant heroes that save the day, but it will all be vain because what's coming... it can't be stopped."

"How... how do you know of this storm?" She needed to obtain as much information as possible, so she could inform Richard of it. One thing she had learned about Jason over the years was that he didn't lie. If he said a storm was coming, then it was coming.

"I'm apart of it, me and your old friend, Roy Harper, are actually leading a good portion of it. Money talks and they paid well," he smirked.

"Why are you telling me of this if you are apart of it? And who is 'they?,'" she pressed.

"Because like I said, it can't be stopped..." He glanced at Mar'i. "And I won't be responsible for my nieces death. As for who 'they' are, if you don't leave, you'll be finding out soon. Take my advice, leave Grayson and get the hell out of here."

"I will not abandon him," was all she said before storming off toward her vehicle, leaving him behind to shake his head. If she only had and idea of what was coming she would run, run far away, but her stubbornness, the need to care for others, would be her downfall, just like it would the rest of the so called Bat Family. The fact was, they couldn't stop 'it' from coming... 'It' was already here.

Monday, April 1st 12:00 PM - Wayne Enterprises

3rd person POV

Kori hurriedly walked through the lobby of Wayne Enterprises, smiling politely at the people who waved at her and the now awake Mar'i, who she carried close to her body. Normally she would stop and talk with the individuals she recognized, but she didn't have time for that today, Jason's words unnerving her greatly.

The elevator ride up to the top floor felt like it took forever, but once she got there, she quickly walked across the floor, heading straight past Richard's secretary's desk and straight into his office.

Richard looked up from where he was typing on his laptop when he heard the door open, finding his fiancé, daughter in hand, entering the room, the door shutting behind her. He was about to greet her, but he noticed her face was panicked and he instantly became serious, his hero instincts taking over. "Star, what's wrong?," he questioned, quickly getting to his feet.

"I took Mar'i to the park this morning and we were bathing in the sun, but then Jason showed up. He spoke of a storm that was coming, and he did not mean in the weather. He said that I should take Mar'i and go back to Jump because Gotham and Bludhaven would burn to the ground, said he and Roy were leading apart of it and that 'they' pay well, but he did not specify who 'they' were, only saying that if I staid, that I would find out soon," she spoke in one breath, leaving her panting for air.

Richard took a minute to digest that, converting Starfire's rambling into usable information. "Jason is in town and he said that he and Roy are being paid to lead something for some unknown organization with a mission to burn Gotham and Bludhaven to the ground and he wants you to get out of town and go back to Jump?"

"Yes," she nodded.

"Why would he tell you any of that? He would have to know that you would just come tell me," he reasoned.

"He said it could not be stopped, that anything you tried would be in vain," Starfire elaborated.

Richard nodded before falling into deep thought for a long moment. "Okay, first things first, we need to go talk to Bruce and see what he thinks on the matter." Richard trusted his own judgment, but he really didn't know what to do when preparing to combat an unknown enemy.

Kori just nodded and they headed out of the room, both trying to appear as come as possible, so not to alarm any of the scattered workers that anything was wrong. Richard and Kori entered his father's office, finding him in the middle of a phone call with one of his business associates.

He looked up at them and raised an eyebrow, Richard mouthing 'business' in response, which Bruce knew was code for 'shit is about to go down.' Bruce calmly nodded before turning his attention back to the phone. "I'm sorry Oliver, it appears as if something has come up that I must attend to, but I'll be sure to call you back if the situation requires... any assistance." Bruce and Oliver Queen, the former Green Arrow and the owner of a multibillion dollar company, had been discussing ventures to make electricity cheaper for citizens who made low wages, but a more pressing matter seemed to have come about.

The phone call ended and Bruce stood from his desk before approaching his son and soon to be daughter-in-law, taking his granddaughter off her hands for a moment. "So, what's go on?," he asked as Mar'i began to fiddle with his earlobe.

Richard and Kori took turns explaining the situation, Bruce quietly listening the entire time, his face mostly unreadable as always. When they concluded, he just nodded before leaning back against the top his desk, stricken with thought. Jason was in town, someone who he hadn't heard from in nearly three years, and not only that, but he was speaking of some unknown organization planning to burn Gotham and Bludhaven to the ground. He was aware that Jason worked as a mercenary for hire now, but he never thought he would stoop this low. And even Roy harper, Oliver's long time protégé was somehow involved in all of this.

"I'll contact Tim, Barbara, Cassandra, and Damian. We'll meet in the Batcave as soon as possible and attempt to figure all of this out and formulate a strategy to defend against it. It's our responsibility to protect the people of this city and we cannot fail." Bruce handed Mar'i back Kori to before heading for the door. "See you there soon," was all he said before walking out.

Richard then turned his attention back to his fiancé. "I have to go. I'll be home by dinner," he promised

Kori raised an eyebrow. "I had planned on coming with you."

"No, just go home and worry about taking care of Mar'i. We can handle this," Richard replied before simply placing a kiss on her cheek and then Mar'i's, absently walking out the door directly after.

Kori watched him go, hurt in her eyes. She felt dismissed and alone, like he didn't trust her to help. But what really hurt was that she could begin to shades of the past creeping up...

Monday, April 1st 10:00 PM - Richard and Starfire's house

Starfire's POV

I waited and waited, but he never came home. Dinner was ready by seven, like it is every night, but still no sign of him. I called him multiple times at eight, but there was no answer. At nine I tried to pass the time by watching television, hoping he would step through the door at any second, but he did not. I even considered going into the basement and using the zeta tube to go to the Batcave, but I feared that he would be angry with me, so restrained myself from doing so.

Though he is not technically my leader anymore, he was for so many years, that following his orders when serious situations arise, is like second nature to me. I am aware that he knows what he is talking about and has a reason for everything he does, but I cannot help but to feel left out. It does make me angry, but it truthfully scares me more than anything. I remember quite clearly that this is how it started last time... When everything fell apart, when I lost him.

At first he would just spend more time working, something I did not like, but it was not the big deal, then he would not talk to me for days at a time, which escalated into him ignoring my presence all together. Is it happening again? Am I losing him? Have I done something to make him think I am not capable? I desperately hope that is not the case. Maybe the past has me paranoid and I am jumping to conclusions... I pray to X'hal that is all it is.

On one hand, I do understand that he is just trying to protect Gotham and Bludhaven, but at the same time, he needs to realize that he has a daughter now, a family, and he cannot just abandon us every time situations like this come about. He is in his rights to wish to help, but he needs to allow me to be apart of it, instead of just telling me to go home and take care of Mar'i.

I must admit, Sometimes I wish we were normal, that it was not our responsibility to save everyone, to protect the Earth, constantly risking our lives in return. I know it is selfish, but just for once, can I not have what I want? For everything to just go right without it being taken away from me just as it starts to do so.

I sigh and hang my head, but it just as quickly rises when I hear the front door open and I look over to find Richard walking through it, his face looking a mixture of tired and serious. I quickly stand to my feet and cross my arms over my chest, studying him with narrowed eyes. "You missed dinner and why did you not answer my phone calls?," I question, trying to keep the anger out of my voice, but I do not think I did a very good job.

"Sorry, we got caught up and really have no reasonable theories as to what Jason could be talking about," he says somewhat absently as he walks past me and toward the door that leads to the basement. "If you need me, I'll be working."

My mouth falls slightly agape in disbelief. All I get is a half-hearted apology? No kiss, no sweet words, nothing? "What about dinner and sleep?," I call to him.

"Not hungry and I'll probably work through the night, so don't wait up." And with that he shut the door, hurting me more than he could ever know in the process. I collapse back onto the couch and scrunch into a ball, allowing myself to cry. It is happening all over again, he is shutting me out of his life, distancing himself from me, possibly without even knowing it. Yes, I know he has a duty, but that does not mean that he can forget about me, what he claims is the most important thing in the world to him. Why does he not let me assist him? Why does he build these unnecessary walls up to block me out? This is not fair. I cannot let him break me, not again.

Thursday, April 4th 7:00 PM - Richard and Starfire's house

3rd person POV

Starfire reached into the oven and pulled out the chicken she had cooked in hopes of enticing Richard to set down at the table and eat with her and Mar'i. She hadn't seen much of him the last four days, he spending most of his time between the Nightwatch and the Batcave. Each passing day that he failed to come in and wrap her in his arms, she became more worried, more angry, more frustrated, but most of all, more scared, scared that she was on the verge of losing him, scared the he was going crush her heart yet again. She had only one weakness as a Tameranian and it was him, the holder of her eternal love. He could yield her powerless with just a few words and she was afraid she was going to hear those words once again here shortly.

Her rational side argued that he was just busy, but even so, that didn't give him the right to shut her and his daughter out of his life, but maybe he would be hungry today and come eat... or maybe he would just tell her that he was busy again and needed quite. She certainly hoped that it was the first one.

Taking a deep breath, she made her way to the closed basement door, knowing he was down there. He had just returned home a little over an hour ago and had headed straight there without a word to her or his daughter. To say that it pissed her off was understatement, but she didn't know what to do. Yelling at him sounded completely logical at the time, but she knew it might only make things worse so she refrained.

When she entered the basement, she found Richard sitting in his computer chair in front of his supercomputer, which Babs' face graced the screen of. Oh, so he had time to talk with her, but not his fiancé, who he claimed to love so much? That wasn't even what really pissed her off though. They were clearly working and not involved in some kind of secretive flirting, but the fact that he would let Babs help and not her was what really got under her skin. "Richard?,"

"Not now, Star," he spoke without even taking his eyes off the screen.

Not now, Star? That's all he said the last few days. If not now then when? When it was to late to save their relationship? She wouldn't make that mistake twice. Her eyes began to glow bright green. She was tired of being ignored, of being shut out, of being cast aside. "Richard," she repeated, no longer asking for his attention, but demanding it.

Hearing her tone, Richard turned to see her standing near the room's entrance, fists clenched and eyes glowing. He swiveled the chair back around to face Babs. "Uhh, I'm going to need a minute." Babs seeing that Starfire was clearly in warrior princess mode, did not want to intervene, so she just nodded and the screen went black. "What's wrong?," he asked slowly as he faced her once again.

"What is wrong?" She let out a bitter laugh. "You are not blind, deaf, nor dumb, you know very well why I am upset. You have ignored me and your daughter for the last four days and I am tired of it!"

"Star, I haven't been ignoring you, I just have a responsibilities that...," he began before she cut him off with a snarl.

"Responsibilities? Is this family not one of your responsibilities? You have not said a single word to Mar'i nor I the entire day. I know you are busy, I know you are trying to save the city, but that does not mean you can shut us out, shut me out! Why do you refuse to let me help? Do you not find me capable? Do you believe me to be incompetent?"

"No!," he shouted. "I'm not shutting you out, I don't want you to get hurt! One of us has to be around for Mar'i!" That was the truth. If this was as bad as Jason said it was going to be, then he very well may not walk away from it. Mar'i had to have at least one parent around.

Tears of anger and sadness began to fill her eyes. "Well, it does not feel like that! It feels just like it did the last time! I cannot let you break my heart again, I refuse to! Maybe this is not working for me anymore! Maybe if you do not need me, do not spend any time with me, then I should just go! You clearly have no interest in interacting with this family, so maybe you do not need to be apart of it!"

Richard paled, his eyes slightly widening and his mouth falling agape, realization finally hitting him. "Please don't say that. Star, I'm trying to protect you, protect Mar'i. I swear to God or X'hal or whoever that I love you. Don't leave me, baby. Please," he begged.

Tears began to come harder and harder. She wanted to believe him, but in all honesty, she felt like she was just being stringed along, maybe for Mari's sake, maybe because he didn't want to hurt her again. She didn't know what to do. "I need the space. Time to think away from you."

He looked completely shattered, tears in his eyes as well. "Are you really that unhappy?"

Starfire nodded. "I am." Her voice was so weak from crying, but yet, it still carried a sureness to it.

Richard closed his eyes and swallowed hard. His main goal since her return to Earth was to do everything he possibly could to ensure her happiness and he even failed at that. No, he hadn't intentionally ignored her, but she was right. His priority's weren't balanced, causing him to shut her out of his life, rather it had been intentional or not didn't matter. He had messed up... again. If she really needed space, then he would give it to her. He hated to admit it, but maybe it was for the best that she and Mar'i got out of Bludhaven for the time being.

"Fine," he nodded in reluctant acceptance. "But at least take some pity on me, stay with Wally and Jinx until you've decided what you want to do, okay?" Wally could at least keep him updated on how she was doing if she decided to not talk to him period and that was far enough away from Gotham, that she and Mar'i would be safe if something went down.

Starfire thought it over for a moment. She could just return to Jump, but she didn't want this to be a break-up, only wanting to show him that he couldn't just treat her anyway and if words wouldn't get through to him, she would just have to show him how serious she was. She would rather break-up than wait around for him to rip her heart out again, but she would oblige him and stay with Wally. At least that way she would be close if something truly terrible happened.

"Very well," she agreed with a sharp nod, her tears betraying her stern expression.

As Starfire packed her and Mar'i's things, which were really only enough items for a few nights, Richard called Wally and informed him of the situation, mostly focusing on how stupid he himself was. Wally was inclined to agree, but was more than willing to allow Starfire and Mar'i to stay at his house until all of this blew over. He joked, saying that he would feel like a pimp, having to gorgeous ladies living in his house. The sound of Jinx slapping him was very satisfying to Richard.

Right as the call ended, Starfire journeyed back down to the basement, Mar'i in one hand and a rather large suitcase, which was mostly just to make Richard believe she planned to be gone awhile, in the other, Silkie of course, resting on her shoulder like a parrot.

Richard gazed at her a moment, hurt overtaking his eyes, before speaking. "I called Wally. He said he and Jinx would be happy to have you." He paused glancing down at the ground, making no attempt to hold back the tears that were matriculating. "If you really have to do this, then fine, but just know that I do love you and It was never my intention to ignore you." He glanced at Mar'i. "Either of you."

Starfire almost gave in right there, but if she did, then what would be the outcome? He would just go back closing her out until their was a gap so big between that it couldn't be fixed? That it forced things to go just the way they did last time? No, she had to do this, no matter how much it hurt her. He needed to see the hell he was putting her through by closing her out and understand that no matter his reasoning, he had to have a devotion to his family, to her.

She approached him, pausing only inches from him. "I love you as well, more than you could possibly even begin to understand, but that is why I must do this. You need to find your balance and learn that you cannot shut me out when things of this nature arise. I cannot and will not stand for it because I know what it leads to, I have experienced it first hand and my heart cannot take that again. I am not breaking up with you, merely asking for a break, so that you may sort out what you need to."

Richard sighed and crossed his arms over his chest. He was happy that this wasn't a technical break-up, but he still didn't want her to go. "Will you at least call me everyday?"

"I shall," she promised with a teary-eyed nod.

Richard swallowed before turning to Mar'i. "Daddy loves you, beautiful. Mommy is going to take good care of you, while we... sort us out." He placed a kiss on his daughter's forehead before turning his attention back to Starfire. "The zeta tube is already set to take you to Wally's basement... Please, don't be gone long."

She smiled sadly before leaning in and placing a soft kiss on his cheek. "The amount of time I am gone depends on how long it takes you to come to the realization that you have a family now and you cannot lock us out. Rather it takes you days or never, I will not come back until you do so." It was eating her alive inside to watch him hurt, but this was going to be good for them in the long run, she really believed that.

Watching Starfire walk through the zeta tube, with no guarantee she would ever return, was the hardest thing that he ever had to do, but despite the pain in his heart, he had to stay focused on the task at hand. Millions of people were counting on him.

Thursday, April 4th 8:00 PM - Wally's and Jinx's house

3rd person POV

Starfire entered Wally's basement, the robotic female voice of the zeta tube announcing her entrance. _"Starfire TT 05."_

She found Wally awaiting her arrival and when he saw her, he gave a sympathetic smile before turning his attention to Mar'i. "Hey Mar'i, c'mere to Uncle Wally," he said, extending his arms out to her.

The baby reached for him and Starfire happily handed her over before scanning the man cave like basement that had a large flat screen television hanging on the far wall, along with numerous posters of bikini clad supermodels everywhere. At least Richard used their basement for far more practical purposes. "Greetings Wally, where is jinx?"

He shrugged, focusing most of his attention on making goofy faces at Mar'i, who was finding him delightful. "She said something about going to get chocolate. Apparently that's what you girls eat when your depressed. Guys handle our problems much more effectively. We get drunk."

She frowned at him. "Well let us not inform Richard of how men handle their problems. He did seem to be most upset about my decision the leave, and I do not wish for his old habits to arise."

Wally looked at her, his face serious. "So um, did uhh... you guys, you know, break-up?" He certainly hoped not, especially for Richard's sake. He had seen what he was like without Starfire and he didn't ever want to have to face that part of him again.

"No, we are still very much together, just on a break until he realizes what he is doing to me when he ignores me. In fact, the reason I am doing this is so that we will not break-up again."

Wally raised an eyebrow. "You're leaving him so you won't break-up?"

Starfire nodded. "Yes, you see, this is how it started last time. At first he would spend all of his time wrapped up in his work, then he ignored me all together, and finally he said those words that ripped my heart out. "I love you, but I am not in love with you," she repeated, the pain evident in her voice as she reflected. "I am doing this so I will never have to hear those words again. If he sees that he cannot treat me this way, then he may stop shutting me out."

Wally placed a hand on her shoulder. "This is really hard on both of you, huh?"

She wiped away the gathering tears in her eyes and nodded. "Yes, though we have been back together for ten months, we have not had a real argument, not one, this is our first real test as a couple."

"Wow, really? I figured you would flip your shit when he told you about Zatanna," he commented absently.

Starfire looked at him questioningly. "What do you mean? What happened between him and Zatanna?," she asked, feeling defensive suddenly.

Wally inwardly groaned, realizing that Richard hadn't told her about him sleeping with Zatanna and that he had just let the proverbial cat out of the bag. "Oh, shit," he mumbled, running one hand down his face. Richard was going to kill him.

"Wally," Starfire began demandingly. "What happened between Richard and Zatanna?"

"I thought you already knew, I'm not the person you should hear it from. It's probably best that you ask Dick, so he can explain himself."

Starfire dropped her suit case on the basement floor, not knowing if she was angry, scared, or panicked. Either way, she was getting an explanation at any cost, even if it was their relationship. She turned on her heals and headed straight for the zeta tube, storming into it, ignoring Wally's pleas for her to relax a second.

She felt herself being teleported and when she stepped out from the bright white light, she found Richard setting back in his computer chair, scanning over some documents as he took notes.

The zeta tube's feminine voice announcing Starfire's presence got his attention, but when he swiveled to look at her, believing she had most likely forgotten something, he found that he couldn't quite make out the expression on her face. "Star..." he began before she cut him off.

"What happened between you and Zatanna?," she asked, making no attempt to hide her accusingly angry tone.

Richard's heart stopped in his chest and he suddenly felt sick. Wally must have let it slip that something went down between them, believing she was already aware of it. He knew Wally would never purposefully do such a thing, but right now he had far more to worry about.

When he didn't respond, tears began to fall from her eyes once again, almost pleading with him to lie to her and tell her that it was nothing. "Richard, you didn't, did you? Pleas say you didn't," she begged, all the anger in her voice previously now deflated and weak.

He swallowed hard and slowly approached her, but when he tried to take her hands she stepped back. Damn it! If he would have just told her from the beginning then none of this would have happened, but once again, he was an idiot, always screwing up and hurting her unintentionally, but what he was about to tell her, would rip her apart more than his human mind could even begin to process. "Baby, I swear, it was one time and over two years ago."

The words of admittance were like a dagger through her heart, cutting it to shreds and discarding the pieces. She hit her knees, all the will to stand being sucked out of her. "No, no, no," she cried as she buried her face in the palm of her hands. "How could you?," she questioned, looking up into his eyes, her voice reflecting her inner emotions.

Richard crouched down on a knee. "I didn't think you were ever coming back. It was one time in nearly six years," he pleaded for her to understand, trying to reach out and take her hand again, but she knocked his arm away.

"I was away from you the same amount of time, but not once did I even consider having sex with another, the idea not even crossing my mind. You know why? Because I actually love you. When you love someone you do not do those sorts of things, but now I am seeing the truth for the first time ever, and the truth is that you do not love me, and you never really have," she said, her voice containing no anger. She was far to broken to feel anything other than utter heart-break. He had officially succeeded in destroying her, the silent tears raining down from her green pools speaking to that point perfectly.

The words were like a slap in the face to Richard, causing his eyes to go wide. "Starfire, that's not true. Baby, you know I love you, you know that I am in love with you. I made a mistake, a bunch of them, but please don't doubt that I love you. I love you more than.." She cut him off when she abruptly stood to her feet.

"Stop," she demanded, holding up hand to silence him, leaving the sound of her soft sobbing to be the only noise in the room. "Just stop, there is nothing left to say. Your words, your actions, they are all lies, lies that you might even believe, but I do not, not anymore. You would not have slept with her if you truly loved me and you will never understand love, not the way I do."

She paused, allowing herself to cry harder as she watched her whole world burn to the ground. "I cannot continue to lie to myself and believe that you could ever feel as strongly for me as I do for you because once again, it has proven itself true that is not the case. It hurts me more than your human mind can comprehend to say this, but we are over... Done."

Starfire took the engagement ring off her finger and dropped it to the ground where it rattled a few times before falling still, the clattering sound it made, finally drawing a shell-shocked Richard to tears. Was this really happening? "I am going back to Jump with my daughter. You may see her whenever you wish, I will not keep her from her father, but we," she motioned between them, "are nothing. Not friends, and certainly nothing more because you... you have made me hate you."

"You hate me?," he breathed, his teary eyes pleading for her to say that she didn't, but her only response was to nod and turn, walking back through the zeta tube, well aware that the truth to the matter was that the only thing she hated, was how much she loved him.

Richard stared the dimming light of the zeta tube a moment, watching with regret filled eyes, as she walked out of his life for good, before looking down at the ring laying still on the floor. He picked it up and held it to his heart before crying, full on sobbing, knowing he had just lost everything that ever meant anything to him. He was once again empty, lifeless, and alone.

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**I wrote this and I even feel sad. Not to sure whose side I'm on either. Anyway, a lot of you have been asking about what I am writing next, so I updated my profile with a section tilted upcoming stories. Check it out and PM me about, which one you want next. Have you figured out what's about to happen yet?**


	18. What Defines You?

Chapter Eighteen - What Defines You?

**Loved the reviews from last chapter. They were intelligent. Some people sided with Dick, others with Starfire, and some were people like me, who saw both of their points. I love the fact that cultural differences were brought up multiple times. Very smart.**

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Thursday April, 4th 7:00 PM(pacific time zone) - Raven and Gar's house

3rd person POV

After her fight with Richard, which resulted in her breaking-up with him, Starfire returned to Wally's and grabbed her suitcase, Silkie, and Mar'i before heading to Jump, just as she told Richard she was going to do. Using the zeta tube, she teleported herself to the tower in Jump, before going straight to Raven and Gar's house. Gar was still at the zoo, working as a seal trainer oddly enough, but Raven, seeing she was crying, quickly ushered her inside before taking Mar'i from her, allowing her to go put her things away in one of the guest rooms.

Now she found herself halfway through unpacking and staring down at a picture of her, Richard, and Mar'i, taken only a couple of weeks ago in Bludhaven's park. "Why did this happen? Why did you sleep with her? Why does everything always go so wrong for us? Can we not be happy?," she whispered to herself as she glided her fingers across the glass frame of the picture.

"I got Mar'i asleep," came Raven's voice from behind her and she turned to find her friend standing in the doorway. When Raven saw that tears were still making their way down her cheeks, she approached and took a seat on the bed in front of her. "Now, tell me what happened," she demanded. All that she currently knew was that Starfire and Richard had gotten into some form of argument which resulted in an apparent break-up, but other than that, she was clueless.

Starfire sighed and took a seat on the bed before adjusting the picture on her nightstand. "It started four days ago. I took Mar'i to the park because she needed sunlight, but while there, I encountered Jason Todd. He informed me that he and Roy were working for some organization that planned to burn Gotham and Bludhaven to the ground and said that I should take Mar'i and leave because what was going to happen, could not be stopped and he would not be responsible for the death of his niece. I of course rushed to tell Richard of all of this."

She once again sighed, her teary eyes fixated on the floor. "And that is when everything started. He began working constantly, most of the time away at the Nightwatch or Batcave, but even when he was home, he would lock himself in the basement, not coming out to eat or even sleep and he refused to let me help him, telling me to worry about taking care of Mar'i. It was just like how it started last time, he ignoring me, shutting me out, not talking to me, so I told him that I needed the space, believing it would show him that he could not just abandon our family whenever a situation like this arose. He ended up convincing me to stay with Wally and Jinx until we sorted things out."

She paused, tears falling harder from her eyes. "When I arrived there, Wally let it slip that something happened between Richard and Zatanna in the past, but he would not elaborate, telling me to go ask Richard and that is exactly what I did. Raven..." Starfire began shaking her head, tears being slung about as she did. "He slept with her. Why would he do that if he truly loved me? You do not do things such as that if you are in love with another."

"I'm aware that he and Zatanna had something go on between them years ago, but Starfire, look at it from his perspective. You had been gone for four years with no indication that you planned on returning. Besides, it was one time, a one night stand," Raven attempted to reason with her. Asking a Tameranian to think rationally was like asking a fish to walk. It just wasn't in there nature.

"I was away from him for the same amount of time, but not once did I betray him." The truth was she felt like he had cheated on her, even though she knew that wasn't the case. "I did not have any sexual contact with a man and easily could have. Yes, I had the urges at times, but I did not succumb to them because sex was special to me and the only person I wanted to have it with was him. I just cannot handle knowing he did that, it hurts to much, so I did the breaking-up with him... I told him that I hated him, Raven."

"Which is clearly not true," she droned.

"No, it is not true. It is not even possible for me to feel hate toward him, no matter if I want to. I love him desperately. The only thing I hate about him is how much I love him. Even with the knowledge of him having sex with Zatanna, he is still my world." She cried harder. "Does he not love me? Raven, I have never asked you to interfere with our relationship, but I must know. Does Richard truly love me... the way I love him?"

Raven sighed, seeming thoughtful for a moment. "I don't like doing this."

"I know this, but please," she pleaded. She had to know the truth, even if it destroyed her.

"Starfire, you feel things far more strongly than humans do. When you're angry, you're pissed. When you're sad, you're depressed. When you're happy, you're euphoric. And when you love, you're head over heels, but with all that said... yes, Richard does love you, just the way you love him. No, he shouldn't have shut you out and he should have told about Zatanna sooner, but that was a long time ago and a one time thing. Are you really willing to throw all that you have with him away over a one night stand that happened years ago?"

Starfire gave that question serious thought, attempting to think with her brain rather than her heart, a task not easily accomplished for a highly emotional Tameranian. She loved him and he indeed did love her, Raven had confirmed it, but the fact was he slept with another girl. Why would he do something so utterly stupid when he loved her? Still though, it was only once and a long time ago. No, that didn't justify it, but maybe it explained it. It was just a mistake. Even she had made her fair share of them, so maybe she let her emotions cloud her vision, maybe she shouldn't have broken up with him, maybe she should forgive him, but would he forgive her?

"Perhaps I did the overreacting, but what am I to do now? I told him that I hated him and did the breaking-up with him. Will he even take me back?," she questioned, beginning to panic.

"Just give it a couple of days to blow over and get your head clear. If you go back there in an emotional state, it may just cause another argument to break out. Besides, just because Jason is the bad guy in this situation, doesn't mean he was wrong when he said you should leave. Dick's going to fight... and I can't bring him back if he dies this time. Hell is stingy with its souls, it won't give him back twice," Raven hadn't wanted to mention that, but now it seemed almost necessary.

"You cannot bring him back if he perishes?," she blurted, her eyes widening in horror. If she had known that she would have never left in the first place, if only to protect him.

"No, it was a pure miracle that it worked last time, but that's exactly why you should stay here until this blows over. Mar'i needs her mom, Starfire. She can't lose both of you," Raven reasoned, allowing logic to overcome her emotions.

Starfire just buried her face in her hands. Could she really leave the love of her life to possibly die with no hope of salvation? Could she risk losing her life to help him, resulting in Mar'i growing up without her parents? The answer to both of those questions were no, so she was utterly lost in confusion. "I do not know what to do, Raven," she cried.

Raven placed a head on her shoulder, knowing she was faced with an impossible decision, but one that had to be made. "I know," was all she could say as she placed a comforting hand on her back. "I know."

Friday, April 5th 5:00 PM - Richard's house

3rd person POV

I sit here on the couch in my dark living room, staring at the wall in front of me, surely wearing a blank expression on my face. The tears stopped hours ago, me officially crying myself out, but the pain still resonates in my heart, dragging me farther and farther down into this inescapable darkness that surrounds me, leaving me numb to the outside world. Everything in the house reminds him of her. The walls that surround me, the bed we made so much love on, the couch where we sat up late and watched countless movies, everything just constant reminders of the time we spent together, the happiness we shared and now she is gone.

I all but forgot about work, my mind lost in thought, involuntarily replaying the words she said over and over again, each time hearing them being more painful than the last. Not only does she believe that I don't love her, but now she hates me. The moment she said those words the most severe pain I ever felt over came me, slowly ripping my heart from my chest, making me feel just like I did the last time she left.

How could she possibly think that I don't love her? I purposed to her, asked her to spend the rest of her life with me. Isn't that the ultimate sign of love? Yes, I slept with Zatanna, but I was trying to move on, find some form of happiness, something to make me feel alive again. In hindsight, it was a mistake, but aren't we all allowed a moment of weakness? It had been four years since she left. I was convinced that she was never coming back and it was only one night, just one. If had known she would show up almost two years later at a reunion, I would have never done it.

A human girl probably wouldn't even care... but sometimes I have to remind myself that Starfire isn't human. Tameranians feel things far more powerfully than we do, so I understand her reaction. In fact, I blame myself for the entire situation. If I brought it up before I confessed that I never fell out of love with her, she would have most likely been angry, but this would have never happened. Why does nothing ever seem to go right for us? One second we're a happy couple planning on being married and the next, I lost her... again, absolutely the hardest thing that's ever happened to me, even out weighing the death of my parents.

Sighing, I glance down at the engagement ring held tightly in my hand. "Hate me or not, I love you. I always will," I whisper. Just then, the front door opens and out of the corner of my eye, I see Bruce walk into the room, a questioning expression on his face.

It doesn't take him long to deduce the situation. He is supposed to be the world's greatest detective after all, but I think the soulless look in my eyes make things pretty obvious. "She's gone," he comments rather than questions.

I wordlessly nod, not even sparring him a look.

"Why?"

I give him a sideways glance. "I ignored her, shut her out, so she left, fearing that we were going to break-up like last time. I got her to go to Wally's, but he accidentally let her know about Zatanna and when she came to ask me, I swore it was only once and a long time ago, but she just couldn't look passed it. She broke up with me and left. She fucking hates me, she said so herself."

"And that's why you cut off your zeta tube, phone, and communicator?," Bruce questions, not sounding happy.

"Don't want to talk," I respond with a shrug.

Bruce's eyes narrow on me. "Look Dick, I know you're hurting, but are you honestly going to set here and sulk, while millions of people lose there lives?"

I shoot to my feet, now furious. "Don't even pretend you know the loss I'm feeling! Your parents died, so did mine, but that doesn't even come close to this kind of pain! You've always had Selina, you can't even begin to understand what it's like to lose someone who is so engrained into your heart, mind, and soul that there apart of you! I planned on spending the rest of my fucking life with her, so don't come here and say you know I'm hurting because you don't have any idea what I'm going through!"

His face softens and his eyes take on a reflective gleam. "I do know what you're going through, I know it quite well. I know the pain, the heartbreak, the emptiness, the lack of a will to go on. I know the sleepless nights that you spend all by yourself, the tears gathering in your eyes, so you have to go to another room to allow yourself to be weak, the loss of appetite where your heart itself rejects food, the anger caused by everyone asking if you're okay when they know the answer. I do know, far better than you can conceive."

"What are you talking about?," I question. He does seem to have a good grasp on what I'm feeling after all.

Bruce sighs before approaching me, looking reluctant on something. "...Before Selina, before you, before Batman even, all the way back to when I was kid, there was a girl, who I loved with all my heart. Her name was Rachel. She was there for me when my parents died, when I returned from Princeton, and even when I came back from Tibet and became the Batman. As soon as I took down Gotham's corrupt and restored justice to the city, I was going to settle down with her, have kids, give up the Batman, but she was taken away from me. The Joker killed her and for a long time after, I was a shell of man, but something she said resonated in my mind and showed me the light in the darkness."

Bruce pauses, looking directly into my eyes, ice meeting ice. "It's not who you are underneath, but what you do that defines you," he quotes. "That's what kept me going, what kept Batman alive, and the criminals scared. Your actions define you, son. You can stay here and wallow in your pain, or you can use it, embrace it, to make sure that no one else looses the person they love, make sure no one else feels the pain you do. So, I have only one question for you, I know the man you are on the inside, underneath, but what are you going to let define you?"

Just then, Bruce gets a text and he pulls his phone from his pocket. He reads over it before holding it up to show me .

_'Found someone whose willing to talk on the drugs. Might be a connection between the influx and what Jason was talking about. Need Dick at Gotham police station now for interrogation,' _it reads.

What are you going to let define you?," he repeats.

It's not who you are underneath, but what you do that defines you. What will I let define me? I could stay here in the safety of my house, crying about how Starfire let me or I could do something to make sure no one else has to feel the pain that I am feeling. My father is right, our actions define our character, make us who we are. "Tell him I'll be there in twenty."

Bruce smiles. "Good decision, son."

Friday, April 5th 1:00 PM(Coastal time zone) - Raven and Gar's house

Starfire's POV

I set on my temporary bed, absently rocking Mar'i as I allow myself to fall into deep thought. I ended up calling Richard multiple times a few hours ago, eighteen to be exact, planning on apologizing and saying that I was just angry and did not mean it when I did the breaking up with him, hoping he would accept my apology, but he did not answer. I do not know if that is because he is upset with me or he is busy. Hopefully it is the second one.

I am officially in damage control mode, now trying to salvage are broken relationship, but I cannot do that if he will not talk to me. I even attempted to return to his... our home through the zeta tube, but it said there was no connection, meaning he cut his off. I am most worried and I cannot fly right now, so I am stuck here until he decides to call me back. I just hope he is okay. I truly regret saying that I hated him, the look on his face when those words let my mouth, let me know that it hurt him. I do not wish for him to hurt, I love him and I let my emotions cloud my thinking.

Yes, I am still highly upset that he slept with Zatanna, but I do see his reasoning and although I do not like it, I understand it. He was attempting to get over me, believing I would not come back. Now, I only hope that I can convince him that I made a mistake. In a way, it is ironic. I have been waiting over ten years for him to ask me to marry him and when he finally does, I break-up with him.

I feel stupid for doing such a thing and all I desire at the moment is to talk to him, to tell him how sorry I am and for him to take me back, so we can get married and move on with our life together. I just wish I could go back in time and fix all of this.

Friday, April 5th 6:00 PM

3rd person POV

Nightwing walked into the police station, heading straight for the interrogation room, where upon entering, he found his brother and commissioner Gordon looking on through the one-way glass, where on the other side, sat a man, clearly of Mexican decent.

Batman saw him enter out of the corner of his eye and turned to look at him. "How you doing?" Bruce had explained Richard's absence to him and he honestly felt bad for his older brother. He knew Starfire and Mar'i were his world, everyone did, so the question was rather pointless, but it felt like the right thing to say at the time.

Nightwing's face remained stoic, blocking out all emotion. "Business before personal issues. Let's get started."

Batman just nodded before walking over to the door that separated the interrogation room from the viewing area, Nightwing following behind him as commissioner Gordon watched from outside, making sure to record the entire conversation for evidence.

When the Spanish man saw the duo enter, his eyes widened. He had been suspecting a cop, not these two. "Batman and Nightwing," he greeted, his English carrying an accent, but easily understandable.

Nightwing took control, following all of his training. "Hi, what's your name?"

"Marco," he answered.

Nightwing quickly took note that the man didn't seem hostile in the least, so he allowed himself to relax a little and took a seat in the chair across from him, Batman taking the one beside his brother. "Well Marco, we understand that you're willing to provide us with some information to reduce your time in jail?"

Marco nodded. "Yes, you see, the only reason I am involved in this is because my nine-year old daughter, Isabella, needs an operation on her heart, one she cannot live very much longer without. My job does not pay very well, no where near enough to pay for it, so I believed this would be a way to make some easy money, so that I could get her the care she needed. I cannot end up in jail and allow her to die, not without say good-bye," he explained, his eyes tearing up.

Nightwing smiled slightly. In a way, it was sort of noble. He would do anything to save Mar'i, so he understood. At the thought of his daughter, his smile fell, emotions bubbling beneath his stoic surface. God, he missed her and Starfire. Focus, Nightwing. He had to stay focused, people were counting on him. "Marco, I'm willing to make you a promise right now, that if you tell us everything you know, I will personally make sure not only that you serve no time, but that your daughter gets the care she needs."

Marc's eyes widened and a smile crossed his face. "How can you do that?"

"We have our ways," Batman answered for him. "Now please, tell us everything you know."

Marco sighed. "I am afraid that it is not much. I have only been working for the cartel for a couple of weeks, but I have heard other men speak of the drugs. They say they are not normal, that they have been altered with some form highly potent hallucinogen, that can only be activated by remote control. I believe that is why we were given very specific instructions to not sample any of the merchandise."

Nightwing and Batman traded looks before turning back to Marco. "If we let you look over some encrypted documents, could you tell us what they say?," the Dark Knight asked.

He shook his head. "I am sorry, but no. As I said, I had just begun to work there and only senior members understand the encryptions, but I can tell you this. A shipment is supposed to arrive at the eastern docks in Gotham tonight at eight. A Russian man by the name of Vladimir will be there. He is in charge of trafficking the drugs into Gotham and Bludhaven, so will have the information you need if you can get him to talk."

"Thank you Marco, you have been a great help to us. You'll be out of here by tomorrow morning and I'll take a look at your profile to verify you have a daughter with heart problems and if I find you are being honest, which I'm sure you are, the money you need for your daughter's operation and even a trip to take her to Disney World after will be here waiting for you tomorrow morning," Nightwing promised.

The man nodded, a teary-eyed smile on his face. "Thank you. I'll never be able to repay you for your kindness."

"Trust me. You may have just saved millions of people. That's enough repayment," Nightwing assured him before turning to look at Batman. "C'mon, we need to get to work." The two heroes nodded at Marco before making their way out the door, shutting it behind them.

Commissioner Gordon looked over at them, a serious expression on his face. "You believe him? If what he says is true, we could be in some trouble."

Nightwing nodded. "His eyes were honest and he was showing real emotion."

"So, what do we do now?," Batman asked, looking up at his older brother. Nightwing had the most experience and by Bat Family rules, that put him in charge of everything.

Nightwing focused his attention on Gordon. "We're going to need a sample of some of the confiscated cocaine." He turned back to Tim. "I want you to go back to the cave and analyze it, look for anything unusual."

"And you?," Tim asked.

"I'm going after this Vladimir guy. He has to be detained and questioned, but we're going to have to do this under the table. The justice system will take to long and time is a factor."

"I can't authorize this," Commissioner Gordon began, shaking his head. "So, it's a good thing I don't know anything about it. You vigilantes just run wild sometimes."

Nightwing and Batman traded smirks, knowing they always had Gordon on their side.

Friday, April 5th 7:55 PM - Gotham's eastern piers

3rd person POV

Nightwing sat silently on the roof tops, watching the docks below with narrowed eyes as he waited for the traffickers to appear. Upon leaving the police station, he had verified Marco's story and left a hundred thousand dollars of his own money at the police station before doing a quick investigation into the Vladimir character that Marco spoke of.

Vladimir Komarov, was a well known drug trafficker, but usually worked with Asian cartels, not Spanish ones and almost never inside the United States, at least not directly, so clearly something was off. Nightwing had already guessed the kingpin was of Asian decent, not Mexican, but he wouldn't know anymore until Tim contacted him with information on what analyzation of the drugs revealed, leaving his mind free to wonder.

Being completely still and having time to think was not good for him at the moment. It allowed his emotions to creep up from beneath the surface, made him feel the pain and the heartbreak of losing her all over again. He wondered what she was doing, if she was thinking about him. Maybe she was even considering forgiving him. He could only hope.

As a black van pulled up into the parking lot of the warehouse, followed shortly by a rather large boat, Nightwing swallowed back his emotions and focused on the job at hand. He could cry over his personal problems after the city was saved.

Watching carefully, he saw men exit both the boat and the van. The man that he recognized as Vladimir, shook hands with who was apparently the leader of the ship's men before they collectively began to unload the drugs. He wouldn't engage yet, instead preferring to wait until the men who arrived by ship cleared out.

It only took them about twenty minutes to unload the over twenty million dollars worth of cocaine, in which time, Nightwing had to fight back thoughts of Starfire and Mar'i, who he desperately missed, but as the boat pulled out of the harbor and Vladimir and the rest of the traffickers headed back inside, he once again bit back his pain before leaping from the building to ground with a roll to lessen the impact of the fall.

Seeing not a soul in view, he stealthfully rushed to the side of the warehouse, making sure to keep to the shadows. This was the first time he ever really thought about how impractical the Robin costume was for stealth missions. Yellow, red, and green? Bruce was just using him as a diversion. He frowned at that thought before shaking his head and getting back on track.

Peeking inside the window, he found five me standing around, engaged in some form of conversation as they separated the bags of cocaine into different stacks, no doubt for Gotham's local drug lords, gang leaders, and mob bosses to pick up.

Normally in this situation, he would engage them directly, have a little fun with it, but he was on schedule and had no time or was in no mood to play around with the some low-level criminals when the city could go up in flames at any second, so grabbing a sleep gas grenade from his utility belt, he through it straight through the glass window, leaving one of the men only long enough to say, "what the..." before he hit the ground, unconscious, along with the rest of the traffickers.

He knew Vladimir would be out for a solid three hours at least, so he didn't have to rush and get him transported to an interrogation room. With that knowledge he contacted Gordon and gave him his location, so he could collect the rest of the men and the drugs before trying to get in touch with his brother. "Tim, I got Vladimir and I'll be in route shortly," he spoke into his ear piece as the nighttime wind began to pick up, causing his hair to blow about in its breeze.

_"Well um,... that's good because we got a huge problem on our hands," _came his brother's voice, sounding slightly worried, despite his training to stay calm.

Nightwing sighed. "Of course we do. What do we got?"

_"There's an added compound in the cocaine and when I ran a scan on it, the results didn't come back to good. ...It's the same stuff that it's Scarecrow's fear gas, only more potent and the body is treating it like a virus, sending white blood cells to combat it, but the compound is actually attaching itself the blood cells and traveling throughout the body in a dormant state. If Marco's right, and it can be activated by some form of remote control, then we have are in trouble."_

Nightwing's eyes widened slightly. Tim wasn't joking when he said that had a huge problem on their hands. "So everyone who is used the drug has a dormant sample of it in there bodies and if and when it's activated, they're going to lose their shit and go into a panic, but even worse than that, is the compound itself. Either someone has learned how to duplicate Scarecrow's stuff, which I highly doubt, or the league of shadows is behind this." The pieces were quickly starting to put themselves in place.

_"Damn, this isn't good at all,"_ Tim commented in almost a panic. He had been Batman for not even a year and already he was facing something of an extreme magnitude. The League of Shadows could be defined in many ways. One could view them as a group of highly trained assassins or an organization based it Tibet, whose goal it was to wipe out all corruption on Earth by any means necessary. They were lethal, stealthy, and highly intelligent, having even trained Bruce himself.

Since, Ra's al Ghul's death they had all but fell off the planet, but Richard, along with Bruce, knew they were still around and truth be told, he really wasn't overly surprised they were targeting Gotham again. It had been twenty-five years since their first attempt to crumble the city, which was faltered by Bruce, but appeared that they were back for round two.

"Get a grip," Nightwing ordered sternly, sounding very much like Bruce would in this situation. "Listen to me carefully, contact the Justice League and the Titans and inform them of the situation. We're going to need back-up. Also, I want you to get ahold of Wonder Woman specifically and give her the address of the interrogation room. I need here there in a couple of hours."

Tim didn't question Richard for a second, knowing he knew what he was talking about. _"Right. See you soon."_

As the feed died, Richard began his way into the warehouse to collect Vladimir. "X'hal, help us all," he muttered.

Saturday, April 6th 1:00 AM - Warehouse

3rd person POV

Vladimir woke up to an empty, dim room, that was clearly the inside of a warehouse. It wasn't until he tried to move, that he noticed he was tied to an iron chair, which was wielded to the floor to prevent escape. The last thing he remembered was the sound of glass breaking, then a thick green smoke filling the room, after that, there was nothing.

"What's going on here?," he called out in his thick Russian accent.

A door opened to his left and he watched as two shadows appeared from it, but when they stepped into the light of the room, they were revealed to be none other than Batman and Nightwing. "Funny," Nightwing began, his arms crossed over his chest and his eyes narrowed.

"We were going to ask you the same question," Batman finished.

Vladimir smirked. "Well, if it isn't the two big bosses of the Bat Clan. I hate to let you down, but I'm not saying anything." Oh, if he only knew.

"And I hate to let you down, but you don't have a choice in the matter," Nightwing retorted before turning toward the door that they had just come from. "Isn't that right, Wonder Woman?"

Donna stepped out from the darkness of the room, lasso of truth in hand. "That's right."

Vladimir laughed. "Using your little magic rope on me will never hold up in court."

"Who said anything about court?," Batman questioned. "This isn't a matter the police are aware of."

"You see Vladimir, we know who you're working for, now all we need to know is when there coming and you're going to tell us everything." Nightwing turned to Wonder Woman and nodded as Vladimir gritted his teeth, knowing he was stuck between a rock and a hard place. Donna twirled her lasso in the air before swinging it around the Russian man, leaving him no choice but to answer truthfully.

Batman stepped up first, asking a question that would either confirm or debunk their suspicions. "Are you working for the League of Shadows?"

"Yes," he answered through gritted teeth.

Nightwing and Batman traded glances before continuing. "And what's their plan?," Nightwing asked.

"The cocaine that has been shipped into your city for the last year contains a compound that will make people experience their worst fears, but the compound is controlled and can only be activated by a remote control device held by the leader of this mission. While the city is struggling to deal with the chaos caused by its own citizens, our leaders and their forces will burn Gotham and Bludhaven to the ground."

"Who our your leaders?," Wonder Woman chimed in.

"Two men I have not met that go by the names Red Hood and Arsenal. They are leading the invasion. Bane has control of the remote," he reluctantly informed.

Nightwing, Wonder Woman, and Batman traded looks. If Bane was involved the things just got a lot more serious. "When is this plan supposed to commence?" Nightwing questioned.

"Tonight's shipment was the last. I was heading back to Russia right after we unloaded because come to tomorrow, these cities will fall," he grinned.

"How do we stop it? How do we stop the compound in the drugs from activating?," Nightwing demanded the answer.

Vladimir laughed. "The only way to stop the compound, is to destroy the control and that my friend, is not possible. Bane is hidden within the city, but even if you did find him, you could not stop him. Bane is unbeatable."

"We'll see about that," Nightwing growled before storming off toward the warehouses' exit.

"Where are you going?," Wonder Woman called to him.

"I have something that I need to take care of before tomorrow. Inform Superman and Aqualad of the information and tell them to relay it to their teams, then call Flash and get him to meet me at the Nightwatch in four hours, along with the both of you. We'll discuss a plan then." That was all he said before heading out the door, Donna and Tim looking on, only able to guess where he was headed.

"He's going to see Starfire, isn't he?" Donna asked him.

Tim shook his head. "He's going to say good-bye... just in case he never sees her again."

Saturday April, 6th 12:00 AM - Raven and Gar's house

3rd person POV

Nightwing stood above the bed, watching the love of his life and his daughter sleep. They were both so beautiful, so amazing, so lovable, undoubtedly his entire life. He leaned down and placed a soft kiss on Starfire's forehead. "No matter what, I'll always love you, even if I'm not there, even if you don't love me back, even if you hate me. You will forever be my Star... in this life and the next," he whispered before he did the same thing to his sleeping Mar'i, placing a kiss in the center of her forehead. "Always remember that daddy loves you, that you and mommy were his world and if I never see you again, I'm sorry I couldn't be the father you needed, I'm sorry I failed, and I'm sorry I always mess up, but mommy is going to take good care of you... and no dating until you're thirty."

Nightwing gave them both one last smile before reaching into his utility belt and pulling out a hand-written note and his mother's engagement ring, sitting them on the night stand beside the bed. Tears dripped from the bottom of his mask as he blew them a kiss and leaped from the open window from which he had came, no guarantee that he would ever see either of his two loves again.

* * *

**The scene between Bruce and Richard was my favorite scene I have written. Next chapter: The city it under siege, Starfire reads Richard's letter and goes to help him, Wally and Nightwing have a little fun with Arsenal, and the saddest scene I have ever written. Tears will be shed. Review, Fav, and follow.**


	19. Lost Love

Chapter Nineteen - Lost Love

Saturday, April 6th 6:00 AM - Nightwatch

3rd person POV

Nightwing, Flash, Batman, and Wonder Woman all set at the Nightwatch, their meeting just getting under way. Nightwing had chosen these people for very specific reasons. They were highly experienced, dealing with combat on a daily basis, and they were his friends, they understood the way each other thought and therefore could communicate well with each other and right now, communication was key.

"So," Flash began, pausing to take a sip of his strawberry smoothie, which he picked up on the way. "What's the plan, boss?"

Nightwing leaned back in his chair, organizing his thoughts before speaking. A mistake could not be made. "While the rest of you combat the League of Shadows, me and Donna we'll take Jason. He'll know where Bane is, so after we catch him, we'll use the lasso of truth to find out his location and from there, I'll handle it."

"What are you going to do?," Flash asked, seemingly concerned. "If you end up blowing yourself up again, I'm not going back to hell to save your ass. Once? Fine. Twice? Eh, I love you, but not that much," he added half-jokingly.

Nightwing rolled his eyes behind his mask. "You wouldn't be able to anyway. Raven made it perfectly clear to not get myself killed again because she couldn't bring me back. I'll just have to out smart and out quick him. I've beat him straight up before, so I'll just have to do it again. The reason he couldn't be brought back was the very reason he shut Starfire out. Mar'i needed at least one parent and sometimes you have to do what you have to do.

Flash looked reluctant, but nodded. "So, when are we expecting these guys to show up for the party?"

Nightwing shrugged. "Anytime now." He then looked over at Tim. "Is everyone on standby?"

He nodded. "We contacted the Justice League and the Titans, just like you said. Superman has divided league members into four separate squads, two will help in Gotham and the other two in Bludhaven. Kaldur and Helina also have their respective teams ready to go. Everyone will be here within ten minutes of your signal."

Nightwing made a sound of acknowledgment and was about to comment on how it was just a waiting game at this point, but before he could, the alarm blared and he hurriedly stood to his feet and rushed over to his crime scanner. A tidal wave of reports were coming in, people seemingly who had lost their minds, burning buildings to the ground and destroying property in a panic. City Hall had also been over run, the former masked hero known as Arsenal reported to be involved and if Roy was there, that meant Jason most likely was as well. There was no denying it, the storm was here.

Nightwing turned to his friends and brother. "It's time. Roy's at City Hall, Jason most likely there too, and there is a rash of people in full panic mode, most reports coming from Gotham and Bludhaven's slums." They all nodded in response as he took out his communicator. "The storm is here. I repeat, the storm. Everyone who is hearing this, report to your assigned stations immediately."

After calling in back up, Nightwing rushed to the N-cycle, while Batman and Wonder Woman climbed into the Tumbler and Flash took off into a dead sprint, keeping pace with the N-cycle the entire way. He could have easily out ran it, but he didn't want to be the first to show up. Who would be there to listen to his wise cracks?

Due to the light, early morning traffic, Nightwing and Flash made it there in under five minutes, Wonder Woman and Batman not to far behind. As soon as the N-cycle came to a skidding stop and Nightwing leaped off his bike, Flash at his side, he began to examine the scene in front of him. There were upwards of fifty men, dressed in all black ninja like suits, carrying drawn katanas at their sides as they stood in military style formation. Leading the army of the League of Shadows' members, stood two men, one to the left and the other to the right.

The one on the left held a bow in his hand, an arrow already drawn, but pointed at the ground as if not looking for combat. He was around 6'2, had styled red hair, a mask covering his eyes, and had a slim, muscular build. He went by Arsenal now, but Nightwing and Flash knew him as their long time friend, Roy Harper, who neither had seen in a long time, him disappearing off the face of the Earth five years ago, some even assuming he was dead, but they knew better.

The man on the right was extremely muscular, carrying two pistols at his side and wearing a red mask that covered the entirety of his face. Nightwing, as well Flash, Batman, and Wonder Woman, all knew the person beneath the mask. The once dead, but now resurrected, Jason Todd. He was neither a hero nor a villain, just playing whatever part he was paid to, much like Deathstroke, and he was also what Bruce considered to be his greatest mistake. Jason just wasn't like Richard or Tim. He didn't have that it factor that kept him from blurring the lines between right or wrong, but then again, most people didn't.

There was a silent stand-off for a moment, Nightwing being perfectly fine with that, more that content to stare down the opposition until back up arrived, but Flash had other ideas. "Speedy, Speedy, where art thou, my Speedy."

Both Red Hood and Arsenal raised an eyebrow behind their masks, but Flash only continued to, what Nightwing could only assume was stalling for time... either that or he had just a little to much sugar this morning. "Hey Nightwing," he began with an amused grin.

Just by the look of his best friends face, he knew where this was going and couldn't help but to crack a smile, childhood memories flowing back into his mind. "Yeah, Flash?"

"Why did they call him Speedy?"

Just like the good old days. "His first girlfriend named him."

Flash burst into laughter and he could have sworn a couple of the League of Shadow members made 'oooh' sounds. "Man, that never gets old," the speedster commented as he wiped a tear from his eyes.

From a distance, it almost appeared as if Arsenal smiled slightly, but Red Hood was the one who replied to the antics. "I wouldn't be joking around if I were you. You're a little out numbered if you haven't noticed."

Nightwing smirked and pointed up. "You never did learn to mind your surroundings."

Red Hood, along with Arsenal looked up to find Superman, Dr. Fate, Green Lantern, Hawk Girl, Red Tornado, Captain Atom, and Martian Manhunter, descending from the sky. Superman landed in between Nightwing and Wonder Woman before looking over at his best friend's son. "I assume you already have a plan?"

Nightwing nodded. "Me and Wonder Woman are going after Red Hood, while you guys fight this front. We'll get him to tell us where Bane is and I'll handle the rest from there. Where's the rest of the league?"

"Two squads are in Bludhaven, one dealing with the civilians and another combating the League of Shadows. Another squad is downtown Gotham, attempting to calm the panic," Superman informed.

"The Titans have arrived in Bludhaven," Batman added from behind Nightwing. "Aqualad says it's bad, but they can fight them off for awhile."

As Nightwing nodded to his little brother and began to give orders to the Titans through his ear piece, Flash scanned the men in front of him, becoming bored with the stand-off. Deciding someone had to start the fight, he put the burden on himself and zipped up to one of the League of Shadows' member directly behind Arsenal and promptly knocked the holy hell out of him, with an exclamation of, "someone had to do it!"

As a result, all hell broke loose. The shadows slashed their katanas at Flash, which he easily dodged, but their attempted attack were enough to start an all out battle. Everyone charged forward, Superman shooting his eye beams to knock the weapons from the oppositions hands, Manhunter, his telekinesis to toss them around like rag dolls, Dr. Fate, binding them with his powerful magic, and so forth.

Arsenal stood completely still, a conflicted expression on his face. The leaguers seemed to be going out of their way to not attack him, aiming their assaults away from his direction. It seemed to be understood by everyone that he wouldn't be attacked unless he interfered and he appeared almost neutral in the situation. Something was off.

Flash wasn't the worlds most observant person and even he took note of this. After laying a high-speed strengthened haymaker on one of the shadows, he made a mental note to figure out what was going on with him when he had a moment where he could talk without someone in a ninja suit trying to decapitate him. Just another day at the office.

Nightwing's focus was centered on something other than Roy. He and Wonder Woman were picking off the shadows like flies as they made their way toward Red Hood, who was currently firing his guns at Green Lantern to little avail, Hal's green energy shield easily blocking the bullets.

To Red Hood, it was becoming obvious they were outmatched, their forces easily being overwhelmed by the strength of the Justice League. They weren't expecting this much opposition, at least not this quickly. Somehow their plan must have been discovered beforehand because they were to well prepared for the strike. He should have known Nightwing and the rest of the Bat Family would figure out the rest of the puzzle, a part of him was actually happy they had.

Just as he was about to make his graceful exit, having no plans of going to jail, his path was blocked by none other than his dear older brother and the famous Wonder Woman, who he really paid no attention to, his eyes locked on Nightwing. Red Hood Smirked. "Well, if it isn't the prodigy himself. How's daddy Bats doing?"

Nightwing's eyes narrowed. "Retired. Now, cut the crap. Where's Bane. We know he's somewhere in the city and that he has the device the stop the compound."

"Sorry bro, can't tell you that. It would pretty much make all of this pointless, wouldn't it?," he answered with a smirk.

"Fine, I'll just force you to tell me," Nightwing retorted before putting himself in a fighting stance in preparation for combat.

Red Hood readied his guns before giving Nightwing the universal signal for 'come get it.' Nightwing obliged him and charged forward, managing to avoid the gunfire with his agility and acrobatics. Red Hood attempted to hit him in the head, with the butt of the gun in his right hand, but Nightwing easily blocked the blow with his wrist, before using the same hand to disarm his brother of the weapon before doing the same to the other. As the guns clattered to the ground, Nightwing kicked them away with his foot before delivering a brutal front kick to Red Hood's stomach

As his brother crouched in pain from the blow, Nightwing didn't hesitate to lock him in a standing guillotine, attempting to choke him until his legs gave out, but Jason was incredibly strong for a human, and with a loud cry of anger, he powered Nightwing's entire body off the ground before tossing him into the air.

Nightwing easily flipped so that he landed gracefully on his feet before once again charging forward and leaping into the air to throw a spin kick directly at Red Hood's head. The attempted kick was caught and Nightwing found himself slung a good fifteen feet away, rolling another five after forcefully hitting the concrete ground. "Ow, that one hurt a little," he grunted as he slowly stood to his feet, clenching his left arm that he had came down fairly hard on.

"Want some help?," Wonder Woman called as she looked on at the fight from a few yards away, after easily taking down a couple of shadows.

"No, I got this," Nightwing assured. He would never admit it aloud, but this was about pride at this point. Before he was a Titan, he had decided to step away from the hero game for a time, needing to find himself as cliché as it sounded. Batman quickly found a new partner, in return giving the Joker endless jokes about 'Daddy Bats' creeping around play grounds, looking for kids to put on tights and get in the Batmobile with him. Richard even helped train Jason, and in which time, they became super competitive with each other. Jason could never seem to do anything good enough, could never live up to the prodigy that was Dick Grayson, and Richard didn't like the fact that he was being replaced so quickly. In all honesty, he felt jealous at the time and he took it out on Jason.

After his death, he felt horrible for not treating him better and retook the mantle of Robin at Bruce's side. Needless to say, the first time he was hurt after his return, Bruce became way over protective and ended up saying he couldn't be Robin anymore, so he left, going all the way to Jump City, California, planning to strike out on his own, make a name for himself, escape Batman's impossibly large shadow, but in less than a day there, an alien girl crashed to Earth and that's when everything started.

When the Red-X suit was stolen two and a half years after Jason's death, no could have suspected it was he who had taken it, the other Titans not even knowing who Jason, or even Robin for that matter, was at the time, but when it appeared on the Titan's door step three years after being stolen with a note that said _'thanks for the loan, bro. It served me well,'_ with Jason's signed signature at the bottom, that's when he knew. Richard had truthfully always wondered why Red-X's fighting style was so familiar and in that moment it all became clear.

"What's the matter, big bro? Lost a step in your old age?," Red Hood antagonized in almost a playful tone.

Nightwing glanced around the makeshift battle field of the City Hall parking lot. This fight was nearly over, less than fifteen league of shadow members left standing... and Arsenal, who seemed to just be there for the view. Nightwing knew if he didn't end this quick, someone would just insist on helping him. Screw that. It was time to stop going easy on him. Family or not, Jason was a criminal.

"Far from it." Nightwing sprinted forward and leaped into the air. Red Hood, expecting some form of acrobatic kick, allowed his eyes drop to Nightwing's feet, but right as he did, a powerful punch connected with his jaw, successfully knocking him to the ground. Before He could even react, Nightwing was on him in seconds, forcefully punching him in his masked face over and over again, until the point that Jason was borderline unconscious.

Pain surging through his own fist from the blows, Nightwing ceased the beating and dismounted Jason. "Old age my ass," he muttered to himself as he glared down at his brother's limp form before turning to face Wonder Woman. "Let's get this done."

She nodded before approaching him, lasso in hand, and tied it around Red Hood, him groaning in his barely conscious state as she did. Once that task was accomplished, Nightwing kneeled down the face his brother eye to eye, while the rest of the Justice League was busy taking on a new wave of shadows.

"Where is Bane?," He asked in a demanding tone, grabbing onto the neck of Red Hood's black armored suit and pulling him forward.

"A warehouse on the north side of the city, near pier twenty-four. It's heavily guarded though. You'll never even get to Bane by yourself," he mumbled.

Having the only answer he needed, Nightwing pushed him back onto to his back before looking up at Wonder Woman, who stood over him. "Me and you can handle Bane and his men." He paused glancing at the league members working to take down the increasing number of League of Shadows' members. "Everyone else seems to be preoccupied at the moment."

She nodded as she untied her lasso from around the surely concussed Red Hood. "Let's time him up then we can head straight there."

"I got it," came Flash's voice as he suddenly appeared beside them, steel fiber rope in hand.

Nightwing nodded in appreciation before glancing over at Arsenal, who still had his bow drawn, but the arrow was pointed as the ground as it had been the whole time. "What's up with Roy? Whose side is he on?"

Flash looked over at him and shrugged. "No one's it appears. I'll talk to him once all of this is over... that is if Superman decides to not put him in a holding cell at the Watch Tower for the next ten to fifteen years. Either way, I'll let you know something... oh, and don't die, okay?," he added in a far more serious tone.

He couldn't promise anything, but he nodded regardless. The two shared a quick bro hug, or at least it was supposed to be a bro hug, but Wally quickly turned it into an 'I love you, man' hug, which lasted way longer than it should have, especially in the dead center of a battle with explosions happening all around them. When Flash finally released him, they shared a nod before Nightwing turned to Wonder Woman. "Let's go."

Saturday, April 6th 3:30 PM(pacific time zone) - Raven and Gar's house

3rd person POV

Starfire tossed and turned in her bed, Mar'i cuddled up next to Silkie on the pillow to her side. She just couldn't sleep comfortably, something was wrong and it was causing her mind to spin like a hurricane in her head. She was worried, panicked even, but what was eating at her? What was plaguing her thoughts, denying her sleep, causing her mind to swirl with unspecified panic?

In a cold sweat, she sat up in bed with a gasp, lucky to not wake Mar'i or Silkie as she did. "Richard," she breathed. Something was wrong, either that or something was going to happen, all she knew is that he was in trouble. Maybe it was just a coincidence or maybe it was divine intervention by some unseen deity, but whatever it was, her head almost instinctively swiveled around to the nightstand on her right, finding a folded up piece of paper with a ring laying on top of it, but not just any ring, Richard's mother's ring, the very ring he proposed to her with.

Realization dawning on her that the love of her life had been there sometime between her going to sleep and the early hours of the morning, she quickly but carefully rolled out of the bed and scampered around to the other side of the room before picking up the ring and paper. Starfire made her way into the bathroom, quickly shutting the door and flicking on the light, so not to wake up her daughter. She then laid the ring on the sink's counter top before hurriedly diving into the letter, desperate to see what words lay beneath its folds.

_'To, My Star_

_There are a lot of places I could begin this letter. I could tell you how terribly sorry I am about what happened between me and Zatanna. I could tell you about the information we found and what's about to go down, but I think the most appropriate place to begin is by telling that I love you like crazy, that I'm desperately in love you, that you and our baby girl are my entire world, the very reason I breathe, rather you believe me or not. I know you said we're nothing, that you hate me, and that's okay. Maybe I deserve it, but just know, no matter what you feel toward me, I will always love you, even if I'm gone, even if I'm nothing more than a whisper in the wind._

_I never told you this, I always thought it was cheesy, but the first time you smiled at me with one of those big, beaming Starfire smiles that only you can do, my heart melted, I was a goner, never even had a chance. I loved since then, since that very moment. You were and still are my very best friend. I've always been able to open up to you like I never have been able to with anyone. There are just so many things I want to say, but all the paper in the world wouldn't be enough for me to tell you how I feel._

_We know what Jason was talking about now. A group of highly trained assassins called the League of Shadows is coming to Gotham and Bludhaven, lead by a man known as Bane. He is the most dangerous man I have ever faced. In fact, his is the only person I have ever known to beat Bruce head to head. Making matters worse, we have collected intel that they will be initiating their plan tomorrow morning. _

_By the time you read this, I'll most likely be in the heat of it, so I'm writing this letter just in case this is good-bye, just in case I never see you again. If I never again lay my eyes on those beautiful green orbs, then just know that you have been the greatest blessing in my life, my own personal angel, literally fallen from the sky above, and the first thing I have thought about when I've woken up everyday for the last sixteen years._

_Before you, I was angry, but now I smile. Before you, I felt alone in a room of thousands, but you made me feel loved. Before you, I never watched the sun set or laid in the park and listened to the birds sang, but now I do. And before you, I was breathing, but I was never really alive. You are indeed my life._

_If this is really good-bye, then when Mar'i gets older, tell her I'm sorry. I'm sorry that I wasn't there for her first birthday, her first Christmas, that I didn't get to watch her open her presents. Tell I'm sorry that I didn't get to chase away the monsters from under her bed or read her a bed time story about some princess who lived in a far away land being saved by a knight in shining armor from the evil dragon. Tell her I'm sorry that I messed up so many times and mommy just couldn't deal with me anymore. And tell her I'm sorry that she never will know how much I love her. I'm sorry I wasn't good enough._

_Forever yours, in this life and the next'_

Starfire hadn't even realized she was crying until tears dripped from her cheeks and splashed onto the paper. In that moment, any doubts she had about Richard's love for her completely faded and making sure to grab the ring from the counter, she rushed back into the bed room, quickly turning on the television. She had been watching the news before she went to sleep, attempting to see if there was anything happening in Gotham or Bludhaven, so when a reporter appeared on the screen, the headline above her being 'East Coast Under Siege,' her heart began to beat like a drum in her chest and her eyes dilated in focus.

_"Hi, I'm Michelle Rodriguez from Fox News, reporting live from just outside central Gotham, where an extremist group, known as the League of Shadows, is attempting a take over of not only Gotham's City Hall, along with the rest of the city, but also the also the neighboring megalopolis of Bludhaven. Some of you may recall that this is the same group who attempted to burn Gotham to the ground over twenty-five years ago, but their efforts were thwarted by the original Batman."_

The women paused for a moment, listening to some freshly breaking news in her ear piece, before refocusing on the camera in front of her. _"Along with the attempted take over, there appears to be some form of mass panic throughout downtown Gotham and Bludhaven. Authorities are urging residents of both cities to stay inside their homes and assure that both the police forces and the Justice League are doing everything they can to calm the threat..."_

The report continued, but Starfire paid no mind to the rest, already having all the information she needed. Though she could classify herself as an emotional wreck at the moment, she followed her training and took a deep breath, trying to think with as much logic as she could.

She had to go help Richard, there was no debate over that, especially if the man known as Bane was as mighty a foe as Richard had said. But what if he was injured and need immediate medical treatment? She was going to need Raven just in case a quick healing session was required.

Knowing what had to be done, she nodded to herself in self-assurance before tossing off her silk pajama pants and her Nightwing t-shirt, then quickly changing into her hero costume, which was even more revealing than the one she wore as a teenager, a good portion of her breasts now showing. At the very least, all male villains would be distracted.

She wasn't completely sure why, but she felt the overwhelming need to carry the ring with her, so she placed it in one of the compartments on her belt. In a normal situation, she would have been more than content to just wear it on her finger, but she couldn't do that if she were planning on using her starbolts and in all likelihood, she would be.

Grabbing the sleeping Mar'i from the bed, she hastefully scampered out of the room and down the hallway toward Raven and Gar's room, her mind racing in thought, or rather worry, as she did. How could she have just left him there? If something were to happen to him, she would never forgive herself, it would be all her fault for abandoning him. She just prayed to X'hal that he was okay.

Bursting through the door, she approached the bed where her two sleeping comrades laid. "Friends, you must awaken at this moment," she said in a very loud tone, managing to wake up not only them, but Mar'i as well, who began to cry.

Raven and Gar, both surprised by the sudden noise, shot up in bed, finding Starfire standing above them with Mar'i in her arms and worry in her eyes. Gar rubbed the tiredness away before looking up at her in confusion. "Star, what's wrong?"

Starfire handed him the crying Mar'i. "You must do the sitting of the baby," she demanded rather than requested before turning to Raven. "And you must come with me. Some group known as the League of Shadows is attempting to take over Gotham and Bludhaven and I must assist Richard. I cannot lose him Raven, I just cannot," she shook her head to demonstrate her point.

"He was here at some point during the night," she continued, holding up the piece of paper and the ring. "I believe he still wishes to be with me and I must go to him, I have to. He speaks of man named Bane and says he is the greatest foe he has ever faced. He may be damaged and if he is to die then it would be entirely my fault for leaving him. Please Raven, you must assist me, assist Richard," she pleaded.

Raven sighed before she coated herself in dark energy and when it faded, she was wearing her black leotard and white cloak. It wouldn't be the first time Starfire had woken her up in the middle of the night and in all likelihood, it wouldn't be the last. "You both owe me breakfast in bed for the next month for this."

Starfire beamed a smile before walking over to her daughter and placing a kiss on her forehead, which managed to quite her crying for a brief moment. "Mommy shall be back soon and she is going to bring daddy with her and I promise you, nothing shall ever separate us again." She turned to Raven. "We must hurry. I believe the Zeta Tube to my home is now on."

Raven nodded before giving Gar and a quick kiss on the cheek and the two girls exited the room. Gar blinked twice before looking down at Mar'i, still not overly sure what was going on. "You do realize your mom just hijacked my wife, right?"

Mar'i just gave him a confused look, making herself look more like Starfire than ever before.

Gar smiled down at the tiny infant before laying her on the pillow beside him and flicking on the television, now to worried to sleep.

Saturday, April 6th 7:15 AM - central Gotham

"That's the last of them," Green lantern commented as he binded the majority of the shadows with the power of his ring, Dr. Fate holding the rest with his magic.

Superman nodded, now focusing on Flash, Green Lantern, and Dr. Fate, the only four members currently there, everyone else having left to go assist with the panic outbreaks or battle the League of Shadows' members scattered throughout the cities. "I'm off to Bludhaven to help. I want you two to transport these men to holding cells," he motioned to Green Lantern and Dr. Fate before turning to Flash. "You watch him," he glanced at Roy, who was now sitting down on the staircase of the City Hall building, bow at his side. He knew him, Wally, and Richard had been friends for a long time, so Wally was the best person to figure out what was up with him.

Flash nodded and was about to respond before Green Lantern spoke up. "Yeah, just one thing before you go. Where the hell is Jason at?"

Just moments ago, Red hood was tied to one of the columns of the City Hall building, his hands handcuffed behind his back to prevent escape, so when Superman looked over at said column, he expected to find him still there, but saw only a rope and handcuffs discarded on the ground in his place. "What the... Who tied him up?"

Flash whistled innocently before walking and taking seat beside Arsenal on City Hall's staircase. "You didn't see anything," he mumbled, to which Roy only laughed slightly and nodded.

Superman sighed and ran his hand down his face. Of course it was Flash. "I'll go see if I can't spot him from the air. You all keep working. I'll check in awhile."

Superman zipped into the air, Green Lantern and Dr. Fate following behind to transport the shadows. Now being by themselves, Flash looked over at Arsenal and through his arm over his friend's shoulders. "So, long time no see, huh?"

"Yeah, I guess so," Arsenal replied.

"Want to explain what the hell you're doing working with the League of Shadows? I mean, I would expect this from Jason, but you? C'mon man, what's up?," Flash questioned.

Arsenal sighed and ran his hand through his red hair. "Five years ago I was sent to Tibet on a mission to flush out crooked government officials who were taking money from citizens for their own personal use. While there, I accidentally stumbled onto the League of Shadows plan to attack Gotham once again. I was trying to transmit my findings when I was caught. They said I would either help them or Jade and my daughter would pay the price. Kind of ironic for a group who claims to stand above injustice, but I couldn't risk loosing my family. I had to cut all ties with them, with my friends, Ollie, everyone I love. It was the hardest thing I ever had to do."

Arsenal paused, another sigh escaping him. "When I got here today, I honestly thought I would be broken into pieces, but no one attacked me, so I just hung back, hoping to avoid the conflict." He laughed a little. "I'm so glad it's finally over. Jade is going to kick my ass when she finds out about all of this. Hell, she may even think I'm dead."

"Doubt it," Wally began. "Nightwing had all of this sniffed out before you guys ever acted. I'm pretty sure Jade knows you're here and she is definitely gonna kick your ass."

"I can't wait to see her," he smiled to himself. "How is Dick by the way."

"Pretty good I think. Starfire came back awhile ago and they pretty much just picked up where they left off. He kept giving me this bullshit about how they were going to take things slow. She was back less than two months before she ended up pregnant. Slow my ass," he exclaimed and Roy laughed.

"But you got to see their baby girl. Mar'i's her name. God, she is beautiful, looks just like Starfire when she scrunches her eyebrows up. I go see her at least four days a week and being around her so much is actually making me think about having kids, you know? Star and Dick are kind of having a little fight right now, but I guarantee she'll be here just as soon as she sees the news. I know she loves him."

Just then, Flash and Arsenal caught a flash of green and black light out of the corner of their eyes and they turned their heads toward the sky to find Starfire and Raven jetting towards them. "Did I call that shit or what?" Flash practically screamed with a grin as the two girl landed.

Starfire flicked her eyes to Roy for a brief moment, curious to why Wally was being so friendly toward his enemy, but she had a bigger problem that required her attention at the moment. "Where is Nightwing?," she asked, a serious in her tone that signaled she was in warrior princess mode and all business.

"Well, hey to you too," Flash joked, but his smile fell when she growled at him, having no time for his playfulness. "He and Wonder Woman went after Bane because he some form of remote control that is making people lose there shit," he answered quickly.

"Actually it's the compound inside of them that's causing them to panic. The remote control just activates it," Arsenal corrected him.

"Where is this Bane?," she demanded.

Raven raised her hand to silence her friend before closing her eyes and focusing in on Richard's energy. Just a moment later they reopened and she turned to her friend. "There at a warehouse on the north side of the city. We need to hurry, follow me." She said before taking to the air, Starfire following behind her, her green eyes burning with determination to save the man she loved so dearly.

"Shouldn't we go help them?," Arsenal questioned.

Flash laughed and waved his hand dismissively. "Nah, Star's in badass mode. She's got this." When Starfire was in what Wally affectionately referred to as badass mode, there wasn't anyone on the planet who could take her. Richard was the one person who could defeat Starfire if ever it was absolutely needed and all it would take is a few words. Good thing she was on their side. Flash through his arm back around his friend's shoulders as they walked off. "Now, lets go have your last meal before Cheshire kills you, huh?"

Arsenal shook his head with a laugh. "Still unfocused as ever."

Saturday, April 6th 7:45 AM - warehouse

3rd person POV

While Wonder Woman and the Titans, who had been called in for back up when they realized how heavily guarded the place actually was, were down stairs dealing with the shadows, Nightwing had snuck in through one of the warehouse's second story windows and began his search for Bane.

After ten minutes, there was only one room left to be checked and Nightwing knew Bane was in it, he just had to be. So, running at full speed, bo staff drawn, he burst through the door ready for a fight, but was surprised to find the room void of human life, only a desk sitting at its center with a chair behind it.

Standing from his crouched position, he took note of a door to his right, and carefully approached before yanking it open, only to find a completely empty square room on the other side. What the hell? Growling in growing frustration, he quickly turned on his heels, but found Bane now standing behind him, as if appearing out of nowhere, but even worse than that, he held an AK-47 in his hands, pointed directly at Nightwing's chest.

The heroes eyes widened behind his mask, knowing if he took a bullet of such a high-caliber at this range, he would be a goner. Richard had never had worn as much armor as Bruce or Tim, it limited his flexibility, but this was the down side of that.

Bane laughed and reached into his pocket to pull out a small silver device with a single red button on it. "I suppose this is what you are looking for, no? I must say, you heroes preformed quite impressively, but it appears as if it were all in vain."

Nightwing had to think quickly. He was sure he could withdraw a Night-a-rang fast enough to throw it and destroy the device, but if he did so, Bane would surely shoot him the instant he let go of the of the projectile. One could say that it was a hard choice to make, but the fact was, there was no choice at all. He knew what he had to do, even if it costed him his life. If he didn't destroy that device, millions would die. He couldn't let that happen.

He allowed his mind to drift to Starfire and Mari and a sad smile crossed his face, knowing he would never see them again, something he had feared and suspected going into this, but now reality was finally setting in. That's what hurt him the most. That he would never be able to be the man Starfire wanted or the father Mar'i needed, but they would always be his life. "I love you both so much," he whispered, tears gathering in his eyes as he withdrew a Night-a-rang in a flash.

Though everything happened with lighting speed, it all looked like it was in slow motion to him. Just a split second after the Night-a-rang left his hand, Bane pulled the trigger of the gun, multiple bullets instantly firing from its barrel. The very moment the Night-a-rang slashed through the remote control, successfully disabling it, three bullets penetrated Nightwing's chest and one went straight through his shoulder, but as he fell limply to the floor, out the corner of his eye, he saw a green flash of light and the next thing he knew, Starfire busted straight through the wall with a battle cry, not even caring the door was open.

Her eyes took in the scene in front of her, finding Bane standing over Nightwing, who laid on the floor, blood pouring from his, chest, back, and shoulder. "No," she breathed, tears gathering in her eyes. She was to late. This was all her fault. If only if she had been faster, if only if she had never left him, then none of this would have happened. "No!" she roared, her eyes now burning bright green with rage and heart break. "You shot him!"

Banes eyes widened as two giant starbolts formed in her hands that would surely erase him from existence, but the energy diapered all together when she felt cold steal being placed against her temple. Glancing to her right, she found Red Hood standing there, seemingly preparing to shoot her. "Hey, cutie."

"...Jason," came Richard's weak voice, barely above a whisper, and everyone turned their attention to him. He paused long enough to cough off the blood that was gathering in his throat, the sight alone being enough to cause Starfire to break down. "Don't shoot her. Rather you believe it or not, there is good in you, I've seen it and I'm not foolish enough to believe that your only purpose for telling Starfire this plan was to save you niece. We would never have figured this out without you and I know you didn't want these cities to fall any more than I did."

His breaths were becoming struggled and he knew he didn't have much longer left. "But Jason, it's not who you are underneath, but what you do that defines you. Don't let taking Mar'i's mom away define you."

Everything was absolutely silent for a moment, but when the sound of the gun clicked, signaling Jason was preparing to fire, Starfire closed her eyes tightly, hoping she would be able to find Richard in the afterlife, but when the gun fired and she realized it hadn't hit her, her green orbs snapped open and she found Bane falling to the ground with a bullet in his head.

Starfire glanced at Jason in shock before rushing to Richard's side, cradling his bloody upper body into her arms. He looked so pale, so weak, she knew he didn't have long, but she refused to tell herself that. "Hang on, baby," she cried roughly as she ran a hand through his hair. "Raven will be here shortly. I promise, everything is going to be the okay. Please, just hang on. Mar'i needs you, I need you. Do not leave me. I am sorry for everything I said, but whatever you do, you must stay with me."

A light smile crossed his face and he seemed to not even hear anything she said. "Remember the reunion? Man, when I walked into that room and saw you standing there, my heart literally stopped in my chest. I heard that when you're in love with someone it can make your heart skip a beat when you see them, but stop? That just shows you how happy I was. I couldn't believe it, over five years away and then you were right in front of me, looking as beautiful as ever. I don't know why God or X'hal or whoever gave me a second chance, but I'm glad they did, because these last ten months with you have been the happiest time in my life and I wouldn't change a thing."

She could barely hear him, his voice being nothing more that mumbled whispers, but it was enough to completely rip her heart out. "Richard, please stay me. Don't go," she begged, tears falling like rain.

"Take care of Mar'i, tell her I'm sorry... for everything."

She shut her eyes tightly and nodded, knowing what was coming, but before he left, there was one thing she had to do. Reaching into her belt, she pulled out the his mother's ring, holding it out to him. "Richard, you are the love of my life, the best thing that has ever happened to me, and I shall love you forever and then longer. You will always be in my heart, no matter what, so will you please give me one last smile, one last memory, and marry me?"

He barely nodded, no longer able to speak. Just as his eyes went glassy and a single tear rolled down his face, Starfire slipped the ring onto his finger before leaning her forehead against his and crying harder than she ever had before, knowing she had lost her everything.

* * *

**So, much happened in this chapter! Anyone crying?**


	20. Loose Ends

Chapter Twenty - Loose Ends

Thursday, April 9th 12:00 AM – Wayne Manor

3rd person POV

Noise. Running water, probably from the shower. Baby crying, sounds so familiar. Dog barking… Ace? People mumbling words, familiar voices, yet unable to put them with faces. So much noise. It would come and go, sometimes lasting what felt like a long time and others it would just be seconds, just long enough for his ears to catch some form of sound.

He really wasn't sure where he was or he even if he was alive, but he didn't really feel dead... unless dead people could hear. What happened? He couldn't recall. ...Oh, that's right, he had gotten shot by Bane, who was surely dead after taking a bullet to the head, courtesy of Jason. Not the way he would have handled it, but he was grateful none the less. At least Starfire was safe.

He wondered where she was. Was she here… wherever here was? He could have sworn he had heard a tone that matched hers, though he wasn't overly sure when it was. Time almost felt meaningless at this point.

He did feel as if he were becoming more aware of his surrounding though. There was definitely a bed under him, he could sometimes hear the squeak of the mattress when someone sat down on it and it was usually followed by mumbling. He assumed they were talking to him, but he wasn't overly sure on that… or anything for that matter.

There was also some kind of constant beeping sound that he was just becoming aware of. It had most likely been there the entire time, but it had eluded him previously for some reason. He could venture to guess that it was so form of medical device, which meant he was indeed alive. At least that was a plus.

It really wasn't until he clearly heard a voice that his senses kicked into overdrive. "Richard," the angelic voice began, one that he surely recognized as his Starfire and he felt her take his hand. "We are all becoming very worried for you. Please, you must wake. I am certain you are hearing me, I can feel it, so please, listen to what I say, even if it is hard to do so. I love you dearly, more so that I can even begin to quantify. There are truly no words in all the languages I know to explain the way I feel about you.

I saying that I hated you… it came at a time of anger. I have been most emotional as of late and you know, that is not true. In fact, it is not even possible. I… I have never told you this, it did not seem necessary, but Tameranian's are monogamous, meaning when we fall in love with someone, there is no falling out. Our love is eternal, everlasting, and cannot be broken. When I say I will love you forever, I truly will. Even if I my love were not eternal, I would still love you with every piece of my heart for every day I breath, so you must wake up, you have to. Mar'i needs her father, and I need my future husband."

He felt the grip on his hands tighten and could hear her begin to cry. "Please wake up, so we may get married, raise our daughter, and grow old together. I wish to be the old couple in the park that we see feeding the ducks and I cannot do that without you. Richard… I cannot live without you," she wept

There was something about hearing her cry that gave him the will to open his eyes, the overwhelming need to comfort her demanding him to and the second he felt a tear splash against his hand, his crystal blue orbs opened half liddedly, finding Starfire setting on the bed beside him, her eyes covered by one of her hands as she cried roughly into it. "You don't have to," he mumbled, his mouth bone dry.

The sudden voice startled her and she quickly removed her hand and snapped her teary-eyes open to see him lying there, looking up at her with dim eyes. "Richard! You are awake!," she practically screamed out of pure, unbridled joy before launching herself on top of him, wrapping her arms around him as she cried into the crook of his neck.

"You do not know how worried we have all been, how worried I have been. You almost died. If it were not for Raven you would have. Why do you keep doing such things to me?" she questioned, talking quickly.

In took Richard's mind a moment to process what she said, but once he had all he could reply with was "I'm sorry." He then paused long enough to collect his thoughts, his hand absently running up and down her back as he did. "You said Raven saved me?"

She raised her head to look at him, still not moving her body off of his. "Yes, she said if she had arrived any later than she did, then she would have not been able to save you. We were very lucky. We have been at Wayne Manor the last five days, and I have been by your side the entire time. Raven assured me you would wake when your body was ready to do so, but I still feared that you would never open your eyes, that I would never see you again."

"I'm here… but what about Bane and Jason and Roy? What about the mass hysteria and the League of Shadows?" He had so many questions.

Starfire wiped her eyes and sat up on his stomach, a part of her finding it amusing that he had just survived certain death and his mind was already back on business. "The man named Bane is dead. Jason shot him before escaping, we still do not know where he went, and Roy is here as is the rest of our friends. He did not willingly participate in the invasion. While on a mission in Tibet, he uncovered their plan to attack Gotham and Bludhaven, but he was caught and they said that if he did not help them, his family would be assassinated. He had no choice in the matter," she explained. "As for the compound, when you destroyed the remote control, its effect fell dormant once again. Star Labs is currently working on a solution to remove it from the people infected completely."

"Wow, I feel out of the loop," he replied, exhaling deeply. Starfire scrunched her eyebrows, giving him the look he knew meant she didn't understand the expression. "I missed a lot," he clarified.

She nodded. "Yes, I suppose so, but you will catch up. I am just delighted you are awake… although, I believe there are some things we should discuss before I inform everyone you have awoken."

"Like?"

She bit her lower lip as she thought and adjusted herself so that she was sitting on his waist. "Richard… I said very bad things and I just wish for you to know that I did not mean them, and…"

"I heard you, Star. I heard everything. You don't have to apologize, but I do. For starters, I shouldn't have shut you out, but Mar'i needed her mother and I knew that if I happened to die during this, I couldn't be brought back. She doesn't deserve to grow up without both of her and parents… And about Zatanna, I…" She silenced him with a hard kiss, which made him feel fully awake to say the least.

"I overreacted," she murmured against his lips. "I forget how different our cultures are at times… As you now know, Tameranian's love is everlasting, and therefore, we rarely mate with anyone but our chosen, the Tameranian version of the boyfriend or girlfriend, unless it is for diplomatic purposes, so when I found out… I was hurt deeply, believing you might possibly have the feelings for her."

"No, Star." Richard pulled her back down, so that she was laying directly on top of him again. "I love you and only you, it's been that way ever since you gave me one of these," he said, giving her stomach a light tickle, causing a giggle to escape her and a beaming smile to appear on her face. "You're the only girl I have ever really loved and you will be the only one I ever will because I may not be Tameranian, but I'm gonna love you to my last breath, that I can guarantee."

Starfire cupped his cheek with her hand, his words causing her heart to soar. "You may possibly remember this, but I thought I was going to lose you, and I asked you to marry me. I do not believe you ever really gave me an answer."

Richard glanced down at his ring finger, finding his mother's ring on it. It wasn't exactly the manliest thing to wear, but he still smiled at the sight and memory. Who would have ever thought she would ever ask him to marry her? Granted he did ask first, but still, it was something he thought he would never hear. "I'll think about it," he shrugged playfully.

Playing along, she gave him her puppy dog eyes and poked out her bottom lip. "Please?"

He mock sighed in defeat. "I can't resist that face, but I do have one condition."

"Yes?"

He slipped the ring off his finger and held it out to her. "You wear it. It looks much better on you."

Starfire giggled gleefully before taking the ring and putting it on her finger, where it truly did belong. "Is this better?" she questioned, holding her hand out to him.

"Much," he nodded, kissing he hand.

She beamed a smile down at him before her face turned serious once more. "There is something else that requires discussion." She had been thinking a lot over the last five days and had come to a conclusion on something very important.

He nodded. "Okay, what?"

Starfire was hesitant for a moment before speaking. "We are in a relationship, yes?"

"If we're getting married, then yeah, I would think so," he responded, an almost amused tone to his voice, trying to ease the conversation and make her feel better about whatever it was she was trying to say.

"And when you are in a relationship, compromise is necessary?"

He nodded.

"Well, I have a compromise for you. It will not affect my decision to marry you if you chose to not accept it, but it would make very happy if you did so." Deep breath. "I wish for you to be at home more. I realize that you have a responsibility to the city of Bludhaven, but I strongly believe that your first priority should be our family. The Titans east are not far from Bludhaven, they could handle the little things and if something on a larger scale where to happen, then I would not fuss about you getting involved. I find it pointless to risk your life nightly for trivial things. It is not only us anymore, we have a daughter to think about and she needs you here with us."

Richard considered her for a moment before responding. "So, you want me to hand patrols and stuff over to the young guns, huh? You calling me old?" he teased.

She giggled slightly, seeing he was playing. "No, I am simply pointing out that you are at a different place in your life and have other concerns such as Mar'i and I. I am not asking you to give up being a hero, I never will, I know how important protecting others is to you, but maybe it is time to slow down. You have been doing this for over twenty years, longer than any active hero. Superman is the only one who is close and he is Kryptonian. I fear you may become severally damaged if you continue this… or worse. I have already lost you once, please do not make me face that reality twice."

Richard sighed and ran his hands through his hair. As stubborn as he was, he had to admit, his body had taken a brutal beating in his twenty-three years at this. He wasn't as flexible or quick as he used to be, the fight with Jason made that clear to him, so maybe it was time to not necessarily hang his boots up, but only handled the things that needed his assistance. Starfire also made another great point, it wasn't just them anymore, they had a family and that needed to be put first. It was time to face reality. "Okay."

"Truly?" she asked in euphoric excitement. She had expected him to at least argue with her about it, even if he knew he couldn't win.

He nodded. "You're right. I believe it's time to take things a little easier, start putting Mar'i and us first, finally hand the reigns over to the next generation."

She attacked his lips, joy overcoming her. It was good feeling to know that Richard would be there when she went to bed, that she didn't have to constantly worry about him dying anymore.

Their tongues fought in each other's mouths, both having grins on their faces as they did. When was the last time they just made out without it leading to sex? Teenagers maybe? It was sort of fun to just play around like this, especially after almost loosing each other.

Her hands ran through his hair, while his firmly stroked her sides, the kissing becoming more heated. He was reaching for her shirt, planning to remove it when they were interrupted by none other than Wally.

He burst through the bedroom door, holding Mar'i in his outstretched arms, keeping her as far away from his nose as possible. "Star, help! Your daughter just dropped an atomic bomb in her diaper! Seriously, it smells like…" Wally paused mid sentence, taking in the sight in front of his eyes. He actually dropped Mar'i in the process, leaving her to float in mid-air. "Really? He wakes up and your first instinct is to eat his face rather than come tell everyone?"

Starfire just giggled and rolled off of Richard, onto her back beside him. "We were talking."

"If that was talking, then men wouldn't have such a problem having conversations with women," he joked before turning to Richard. "I tell you to not die and what do you do? Get shot four times and nearly die. Heard Raven say that if she were even a minute later, you would have kicked the bucket."

Starfire set up in bed, ushering her floating child over to her, keeping her now glaring eyes on Wally. "Do you wish to inform Richard where you and Roy were when all of this was happening?"

Wally hung his head, looking down at the floor to avoid Richard's eyes. "Taco Bell," he muttered. "But in my defense, you came flying in there in badass mode, so I didn't feel needed at the moment. I mean seriously, who can take you when you're pissed?"

Starfire felt a little pride surge through her at that statement, but quickly discarded it as she stood from the bed and retrieved Mar'i's baby bag, so she could change her. "You still should have come and assisted us. If Raven did not have to assist in fighting off the League of Shadows' members, then Richard being shot would not have been the big deal."

"Stop putting "the" in front of "big deal!" It doesn't belong there and you know it!" Wally retorted, knowing he had lost the argument and was now trying to change the subject.

Starfire turned to him as she powdered Mar'i's bottom. "As Richard tells me when I am upset, calm your tits. Everything is the okay," she smirked, emphasizing "the" for the lone purpose of making Wally mad.

He opened his mouth to yell back, but Richard cut him off. "Alright kids, both of you calm your tits," he groaned as he set up, his chest insanely soar, most likely from the removal of the bullets. "Someone help me to the living room."

Starfire literally tossed Mar'i to Wally, her laughing joyfully as she flew through the hair, flight something she hadn't yet got the hang of. Her human half probably made flying more difficult for her, most Tameranians being able to fly at birth, but Starfire was certain that it would develop soon and then Wally would have to stop suggesting Balloon Girl for her hero name because all she did was float everywhere.

With her hands free of her infant, she made her way over to Richard and wrapped her arm around his waist to stabilize him, before helping him out the door, Wally, holding a madly giggling Mar'i, following behind. The moment Richard stepped into the living room, he found almost all of his close friends sitting around, engaging in conversation or watching the movie playing on the television if front of them.

Bee was cuddled into Vic's side on the couch. Raven sat beside them, a green cat curled up in her lap. On her left was Jinx, waiting for the return of her fiancé. In the recliner near the fire-place, Roy sat, Jade in his lap and their daughter on the chair's arm. Donna, Terry, Tim, Cassandra, Damian, Alfred, Selina, Babs, and her husband Jason were also scattered throughout the room. Even Bruce and Clark stood off in the corner away from everyone else.

Bruce happened to be the first to notice Richard's presence and a smile instantly crossed his face. When he found out Richard had been shot, he went into panic mode, only calming slightly when Raven informed him that he was going to live. Bruce still insisted, or rather demanded, that Richard stay at the manor until he woke. Even though he wasn't Batman anymore, no one was in a hurry to argue with him, so they all ended up staying the length of the five days. "Glad to see you awake, son," he said, stepping forward.

Everyone's head swiveled toward the door, finding Richard standing there, leaning against Starfire, Wally and Mar'i, who sat on the speedster's shoulder, behind them. They all stood and began to make their way toward Richard, but stopped in their tracks when Starfire's eyes began to glow and she let out a low warning growl.

Bee raised an eyebrow at her. "You knocked up again or something?" she questioned, while Raven's eyes widened from her place beside her. She hadn't really seen Starfire in the last five days, her being locked up in the room with Richard, but now that she was, something very odd occurred to her.

"No, I am not "knocked up" as you say, Richard is still damaged and he does not need to be crowded," she explained. Tameranians were highly protective over their mates if they were to become injured and they needed to back up like now.

Richard smiled down at her, giving her shoulder a light squeeze to relax her. "It's okay, baby." He turned to his family and friends. "How about we all sit down?" Sounds of agreement were made and a slight growl from Starfire, who was feeling odd at the moment, as in slightly more overprotective than she should be, even for her instinct to watch over her injured mate.

Richard took a seat in a recliner near the couch, Starfire sitting in his lap, as everyone followed suit, making themselves comfortable in the large private living room. "You been out awhile, man," Vic spoke up. "Raven said you would be fine, but we thought we'd all hang around just to make sure."

Richard smiled and nodded. "Thank you, I really appreciate it." He was sure on one thing, he had people who cared about him.

"How you feeling?" Babs asked and she could almost have sworn Starfire's eye twitched.

He shrugged and leaned farther back into the chair, pulling Starfire so that she was leaning the full weight of her body against him, her purring lightly in response to him rubbing his hands up and down her stomach. "Pretty good, just sore, but I'll take that over being dead any day of the week… By the way, thanks for saving my ass, Raven."

Raven looked over at the couple, her knowing eyes briefly pausing on Starfire before turning to Richard. "Someone has to. You would have been dead a hundred times over if it wasn't for me."

He laughed slightly. "Which is exactly why I am somewhat retiring from the game."

"Really?" everyone asked in unison, surprised by the news.

"You sure about this, Dick?" Bruce added in.

Richard nodded and turned Starfire's head so that she was looking at him before placing a soft kiss on her lips, which she had to fight herself to not deepen, feeling the overwhelming need to demonstrate ownership. Breaking away, he turned back to the group. "Star and I talked and we agree that it's time that I hand the little stuff over to the next generation. I'm not completely giving it up, but I'm just human and as much as I hate to admit it, my body can't take much more of a beating. I have to put my family first now."

Raven smirked at the irony of this conversation. Oh, if they only knew.

Bruce sighed, but nodded. Richard had been at this since he was an eight year old by, and now nearing the age of thirty-two, perhaps it was time to slow down and focus on his family. There were certainly times when he wished he had spent more time with his family, so he understood and besides, knew that if all hell broke loose, Richard would still be able to go a few more rounds. "Good decision, son."

Richard smiled and nodded at his father's approval before turning to look over at Roy, who now had his five year old daughter in his lap. "Long time."

Roy nodded back with a light smile. "It has, but I do have a good explanation."

"You don't have to explain. Star already gave me the gist of it, but do you have any idea where Jason went? And someone mind telling me how he escaped in the first place?" Richard questioned.

Wally abruptly stood from the couch and let out a long dramatic yawn full of unnecessary stretches. "Welp, me and Mar'i are about to go take us a nap. We're very tired, right Balloon Girl?" Mar'i just gave him a confused look in return and with that, Wally took off upstairs in a blur.

"Well, I guess that answers your second question, but no, I don't know where Jason ran off to. My guess is he's close though. We'll probably see him again someday," Roy responded.

Donna, who sat in Terry's lap in the recliner across from them, glanced down at Starfire's hand and smiled, finding the engagement ring on her finger. She was aware of their fight and never had any doubt that they would get back together. "Looks like the weddings on, huh?"

Starfire beamed a smile, the almost glassy gleam in her eye vanishing for a moment. "Oh, yes!" She turned to look at Richard. "Donna and I have been discussing this, and I would hope that you would not mind, but I would like to have our wedding on the roof of the tower at sunset next July fourth, our new anniversary."

"That's… You know what? That is actually a fantastic idea." A smile crossed his face. "Yeah, it would be perfect."

Starfire's beaming smile doubled in brightness. She had expected Richard to be uncaring on the matter, but to have him actually voice his support for it, enthusiastically at that, was enough to make her heart sang. "Glorious."

Thursday, April 9th 11:00 PM – Wayne Manor

3rd person POV

Richard laid in bed, a sleeping Mar'i on his chest. With everyone departing for their homes tomorrow morning, they had all spent the day in each other's company. Around one, the guys all headed to the game room to relax, while the girls went to the mall. Richard had taken note that something was off about Starfire, she seemed distracted and was a lot quieter than normal. If Starfire wasn't in sunshine and rainbows mode then something was wrong.

He had planned to talk with her about it before the groups separated, but he saw Raven take her hand when they walked off, so he guessed she had it covered. Now he was just waiting for her to return. They had called thirty minutes beforehand and said that they got stuck in traffic and would be back shortly, so it was just a waiting game now.

The game didn't last long because five minutes later Starfire walked through the front door, shopping bag in hand, and smiled over at him, but Richard knew said smile was forced. "Greetings Richard, I see you have gotten Mar'i to sleep."

He laid his daughter down on the bed beside him before sitting up and standing to his feet. "I did. Have fun today?"

Starfire nodded as she took off her clothes, tossing all but her bra and thong onto the top of her suitcase. "Yes, and I have a surprise for you."

"Oh?" he questioned.

"Yes," Starfire replied, looking quite nervous. She reached into the bag and pulled out two baby bottles, two purple blankets, two purple onezies, and two rattlers before laying them out on the bed, hoping Richard would understand what she was getting at and wouldn't be mad or upset.

He stared down at the items a moment, a look of utter confusion on his face, before turning his attention back to her, finding she looked almost scared. "Baby items are my surprise? I was hoping for eatable underwear," he joked, attempting to relax her.

"No, the baby items are not your surprise. The surprise is… well, that… Richard, I am pregnant… with twins."

He nearly fainted right there, but he managed to keep his balance and pick his jaw up from the floor. "Excuse me, uh, can you repeat that?"

Deep breath. "I am pregnant with twins. Raven privately informed me of this when we went to the mall of shopping. I suppose that is why I have had so many of the flipping and flopping emotions as of late and I know we said we were going to wait at least a year before we had another child, but… that is no longer an option, so please do not be upset," she pleaded.

To her surprise, Richard began to laugh and dropped to his knees, leaning his forehead against her stomach. "We're going to need a bigger house."

"You are not upset?"

"No," Richard assured, looking up into her worried filled green pools. "I'm… I'm excited." He shook his head with another laugh. "All those years of trying to have a baby with no luck and now you're a baby factory. Twins, we're having twins. I mean, I hope one is a boy and the other's girl or else, I will get them mixed up all the time."

Starfire giggled and dropped to her knees beside him, placing a hard kiss on his lips. "X'hal, I love you. I do not believe I could ask for a more amazing man."

Richard smiled and wrapped the love of his life in his arms, happier in that moment then he had ever been in his entire life. Ten months ago, they both had been emotional wrecks, neither having much of a desire to go on, but fate works in mysterious ways. It brought them back to each after nearly six years apart and eternal love had kept them together, unwilling to let them separate again. At times there were struggles and there were sure to be more, but one thing was for certain, their love would outlast anything life could throw at them, their love would even outlast life itself.

It wasn't love at first sight, but the double take left them hopelessly entranced in each other. Buildings would fall, years would pass, time would go on, but their love would outlast it all, because every time their eyes met, it was like they were truly seeing each other for the first time.

* * *

**That's all folks. Thank you all for reading, it has been my pleasure to write this story. Two things, I'm taking some time off from writing to renew my creative vigor, but I will be back before you know it. I haven't decided on my next story, it'll probably Star Fallen though. Go check out my profile for the options. Make sure to follow me if you want to know when the story comes out because if it is Star Fallen, it will be in the Young Justice category. And finally, was this story worth reading? It's the only question I want to know. Also, I'll do an epilogue called Ten Years if you guys want me to.**


	21. Ten Years(Epilogue)

Chapter Twenty-One – Ten Years

**I did the epilogue! I would have had it out sooner, but I've been a little busy over the last few days.**

Saturday, June 14th 8:00 AM – Grayson family's house

3rd person POV

Starfire awoke to the warm feeling of the love of her life next to her, just like she had almost every day for nearly eleven years now. The Tameranian woman opened her squinted eyes, finding her chosen already awake and staring down at her with his crystal blue eyes as he ran one of his hands through her long red hair.

Though he was forty-one years old as of March twenty-first, he didn't look a day over thirty, probably still even able to pass for someone in his late twenties. He no longer ran across roof tops at night, hidden under the mask of his Nightwing persona, but he was still probably one of the most in shape and athletic men on the planet, which Starfire absolutely loved. His muscles were her second favorite part of his body, directly behind his ass.

Starfire herself was also as gorgeous as ever, Tameranians seemingly to age far better than humans did, never having to deal with those pesky grey hairs. Though she still worked as a translator for the Bludhaven police force, while Richard once again begin became a cop due to her persuasiveness, she had taken up a few local modeling gigs in the state of New York. Everyone was always amazed at how utterly gorgeous she looked for her age, still having a better body than most twenty years olds.

Though there appearances were for the most part the same, a lot had changed over the last ten years. For Richard and Starfire, they were now married, their wedding happening just like Starfire had envisioned, at sunset on the roof Titans' Tower. It was certainly fitting considering the roof would forever be considered their place. The wedding was certainly the best day of both of their lives, not a question about it. It was really two weddings in one. Nightwing married Starfire, but at the same time, Richard married Kori. It was important to them to be married in both of their lives.

More children also came. The twin girls, Alexandra and Alexis, or as Wally called them, A1 and A2, were gorgeous girls, both carrying the traits of black hair and green eyes, just like Mar'i. Also like Mar'i, they were hurricanes, both possessing all of Starfire's abilities, but that didn't stop them from having another girl, Shiand'r, just two years later. She was the oddball of their girls, being a carbon copy of Starfire, red hair, golden orange skin, and the greenest emerald eyes ever. She also happened to be the only one who could fly from birth, meaning she had more Tameranian in her than the rest of the girls.

Richard thought it was hilariously ironic. He had always wanted a boy, but instead God or X'hal or whoever had gifted him with four beautiful girls and he couldn't possibly be happier about it.

It was hard at times, no doubt. They felt emotions like Tameranians, so either they were abundantly happy, pissed to the point that their eyes were glowing, or completely devastated and in tears. There was also cultural differences in play, such as their being two religions in the house hold. Starfire wanted them to learn aspects of both and then chose for themselves, Richard not really caring who they worshiped. Religion wasn't a big deal to him. The girls themselves seemed indifferent on the matter as well, sometimes using God in their speech and other times X'hal. All in all, things went without issue most of the time.

Gar and Raven also had four children, two boys and two girls… except theirs came all at once. Apparently Gar's unstable DNA actually caused him to produce a litter. Six months into the pregnancy, Raven looked like a balloon on the verge of popping and was seriously considering sending him to hell, but when the nine months were finally up, it was totally worth it.

Wally and Jinx had one child together after their marriage, a girl named Kacey West, the current Kid Flash and Bart Allen's sidekick. Although she happily accepted her father's legacy, she did make minor adjustments to the suit, it now being pink instead of yellow, to match her hair of course. Wally wasn't happy about the change to his old costume and made it clear that she would wear the traditional Flash costume when the time came.

Vic and Bee were married shortly after their divorces were settled. It was a small wedding on the beach, only close friends and family in attendance. They had a child, a little boy named Jaden, exactly nine months after their honeymoon. He's already a star athlete and very proud to be the son of the former Justice League member known as Cyborg, who actually became the head football coach for his son's team, while Bee took on the role of teaching the cheerleaders how to "shake their booty." Parents were not happy.

After reuniting, Roy and Jade were married seven months later and welcomed a son into the world a couple of years after. Roy is still in the dog house for not informing her of what was going on during his five year absence, but he honestly couldn't be happier.

Damian, now twenty, took over as Nightwing on a permanent basis a few years ago, while Tim still held the tidal of Batman. Cassie and Tim broke up eight years previous, but still remain good friends. Ironically enough, he found another girlfriend named Cassie a little over a year later. Everyone else then knew her as Wonder Girl, now Wonder Woman. Donna is still threatening to skin him alive if he hurts her, but they are very happy together, talks of marriage begging to arise.

Bruce and Selina are still happily married and still find it fun to play the cat and mouse game with each other, but the truth was, she stole his heart a long time ago.

Jason still dropped by to say hello on occasion. He was seen as neither enemy nor friend, but he would always be welcomed as family if he ever needed it. Everyone was aware he lived in Gotham, but like a stray dog, they had to let him come to them.

All of the former Titans were now current Justice League members, Aqualad being second in command, right behind Batman. Conner, now Superman, and Megan were married and had two kids, both of whom were ultra-powerful and sure to make excellent Titans and Justice League members when their time came.

All in all, things were wonderful, life was great, and the sun shined through the rain, especially this morning as Starfire stared lovingly up into her husband's eyes. "Good morning, Mr. Grayson," she cooed.

He smiled and leaned down, placing a soft kiss on her lips. "Morning Mrs. Grayson. Sleep well?"

Starfire beamed a sleepy smile up at him in response. "Always with you next to me."

Richard positioned himself so that he was directly on top of her, cupping each side of her face with his hands, before giving her a playfully wet kiss, causing her to giggle and turn her head to the side as she pushed him away only to have him pin her hands to the bed and attacker her cheek and neck area with rapid, messy, butterfly kisses, her squealing in joyous glee as he did. Starfire always loved the days he was feeling playful. She was the only one who could bring that rarely seen side out of him and that filled her with pride.

After having his fill of kisses he nuzzled his noise into her neck, something she always did to him, the only difference being that she was insanely ticklish and tried to flee the bed, but he held her in place and continued to torture her. "Richard… please… stop," she begged through her laughter.

He mock sighed and leaned up to look her in the face. "Fine, I'll let you off easy this time, but I thank you owe me."

Her eyes took on a seductive gleam, something she had become quite good at over the years. "Oh? What would you like for me to do to repay you?"

Richard grinned down at her. "Well, I have a few ideas. First we could start with…"

"Mom, Dad, Alexis hit me!" came Alexandra's voice.

"She called me stupid!" the twin defended herself.

Richard sighed and looked down at his lovely wife. "Rain check. The beasts are apparently up."

She giggled. "Yes, I suppose we should get up and handle them."

"Or send them to Wayne Manor and let them annoy Grandpa Bruce and Grandma Selina till school starts back," he suggested.

"Oh yes, that would give us a lot of time just to spend with each other, would it not? Just think of what we could do with all of this time," Starfire flirted, running her hands down his bare chest.

Richard opened his mouth to reply, but… "Mooooooooom! Daaaaaaaaaaad!" came Mar'i's voice. "They are getting on my last nerve and I am seriously about to damage them."

"We are coming!," Richard and Starfire called in unison before reluctantly getting out of bed, Richard mumbling something about how he was never going to get laid again. They put on their clothes before heading out the door and downstairs into the living room, where they found Mar'i floating upside down, reading a book her Aunt Raven had given her for her birthday, the twins fighting over the remote, and Shiand'r, or just Shianne in public, was sitting contently in the middle of the floor playing with Silkie. She was always the calm one and Richard loved her for that.

"Alright you little monsters," he began facing the twins, who fought constantly unless Richard or Starfire intervened. "One of you gets the television for thirty minutes, then it's the other's turn. If you don't like it, then go to your room and watch t.v. You keep arguing and I'll send you to Grandpa's and there will be no t.v because you will be training until you pass out, got it?"

Bruce ran drills with all the girls at least once a week. He didn't care if they could fly, had super strength, and could fire energy beams from their hands, they needed to learn the basics, such as picking locks and ninja like stealth. Mar'i, or rather Nightstar, was the only one who was allowed on patrols, the others still not having Richard's approval, but that didn't mean his oldest daughter was exempt from Bruce's training. Needless to say, he was far stricter than their father, often making them do it over and over again even if they had done it correctly the previous time. They hated it and were in no hurry to be worked to death. "Yes, Dad," the twins said in unison before sitting down on the couch, pouts on their faces.

"Yes girls, behave while I cook us some pancakes," Starfire ordered in her much gentler tone. For the most part, Richard was disciplinarian in the household, assigning punishment whenever one of the girls got in trouble, but then they would just go cry to their mother and she would sweet talk him into lessening their grounding from two weeks to one. She still had that power over him, even after all these years together.

"Can I help, mommy?" Shi asked with her Starfire like enthusiasm.

"Of course you can, my little sunshine," Starfire beamed as she headed off to the kitchen to begin breakfast, her youngest daughter floating behind her, rambling off some form of question as she did. Richard took a seat beside the floating Mar'i on the couch with a content sigh. His daughters weren't trying to kill each other at the moment, the woman of his dreams and the best wife of this planet or any was cooking breakfast, and everything was perfect. As long as he had his family and friends, it always would be.

* * *

**Alright, now it's done. No sequel for this story. Due, to the many PM's I have received, I have narrowed my story options down to two and will let you guys vote. The winner will be the next story written, which I will start on shortly.**

**Star Fallen** - (young Justice fic) Takes place after season two. Dick/Nightwing is clinically depressed after the apparent death of his best friend, Wally West. Not wanting to appear weak, he shuts everyone and everything out, but when a space ship crash lands in the California city of Jump and the team needs assistance dealing with the orange skinned green eyed alien, known as Koriand'r, who is on a tirade through the city, Nightwing comes to the rescue, but when he lays his eyes on the most beautiful creature he ever seen and he gets passed her confused anger, it becomes apparent that she may very well be the one rescuing him.

**Oh, Brother** - Kori is a sophomore at Gotham Academy, but when she is paired with Tim Drake on a history project, she ends up going to the beautiful Wayne Manor after school to work were she meats Tim's brother, Richard "Dick" Grayson, the school heartthrob and notorious playboy. She is instantly stricken by deep feelings, but there are a few problems in her way, one he's a senior and two, his girlfriend, Babs. Can she overcome these obstacles and make him see that he belongs with her?

**Tell me which one is more appealing and the first chapter should be up at some point in January. Till then, enjoy your holidays and I could possibly be doing some Robstar one shots, no promises.**


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